


Side Stories

by eng050599, stevegallacci



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Hybrids, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, Medical, Pain, Science, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-09 02:52:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 71,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11095368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eng050599/pseuds/eng050599, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stevegallacci/pseuds/stevegallacci
Summary: A repository for any side projects that come along. This is where the Side Stories for Lost Causes and Broken Dreams will go, along with any original one shots that I come up with. This will only be updated rarely, as I have enough trouble getting chapters for LC&DB out the door.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, and welcome to my Side Stories. This is where all of my various dabbles outside of Lost Causes and Broken Dreams will reside. It will include side stories from the LC&BD universe, as well as other projects that come up every now and then. Don’t expect for it to be updated that long...I have enough trouble just keeping up with the main story, but I’ll try to add to it every few months.  
> This story is a bit different, mainly because it was written as a guest chapter for my editor, WildeNick’s Three Months a Fox. He wanted something to showcase how the medical staff of Zootopia could deal with the savage mammal crisis, so I developed this from his outline, and I think it turned out quite well. I’ve kept the chapter as is except for this note.
> 
> Hello readers! As always, thank you to everyone that has stuck with me this far, and thank you to fatescanner for helping edit this and previous chapters.  
> In a rare pre-chapter note, I wanted to inform you that this chapter is a little different. It’s been my goal since the beginning to take a detailed look at not just what Nick has been doing, but also how the rest of the various facets of the city were affected during the crisis.  
> This chapter focuses on one such area, but it is also on a topic to which I am not as well versed. So, to continue my commitment to building the most realistic, detailed, and complete account of the three months to which this story is named after, I called in some help.  
> eng050599 has been with me since the beginning of this adventure, and I have been continually thankful for his insight and editing assistance throughout. His personal life makes him eminently qualified to write on this topic, so rather than merely being someone to consult with, he was kind enough to guest write this entire chapter for me. His unique style, expert knowledge base, and a light crossover reference to his own fic, Lost Causes & Broken Dreams, makes this an excellent addition to the 3MaF universe!  
> Thank you for writing this eng050599! It has been a real pleasure collaborating with you throughout this processes!

.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.

**The Little Dutch Boy**

…

Day 39

…

[nature com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ng/162352-62]

**Nature Genomics 162(3)52-62**

**No Genetic Basis for Instinctual Recidivism: A Multi-Species Comparative Genomic Analysis of “Savage” Mammals**

Jacobson AG1*, Widelhorn DT1,2, Hawthorne DA2, Stoat FS2, Grazemore PR2, Rutter AJ3 and O’Hera GG1,3

  1. Zootopia University, Department of Biology, Savannah Central, ZU
  2. Honeywell Genetic Counselling Centre, Savannah Central, ZU
  3. Zootopia Public Health Labs, ZFB Baden, Meadowlands, ZU



* Corresponding Author: jacobag@zoou. za

**Abstract:**

The rise in incidents of instinctual recidivism in a broad range of mammals represents a major public health concern. Whole genome _de novo_ and reference assemblies were conducted on 97 subjects from 27 species who exhibited regression to a feral state, as well as 10 unaffected volunteers. The results of these assemblies were annotated _in silico_ and compared within and between taxonomic groups, using the genetic information in the Honeywell Genomic Database as an unaffected control for species not represented in the volunteer population. No significant variance in Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs), gene number, or overall chromatin structure was observed in the experimental population. Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) analysis identified between 69,000 to 134,000 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) per species that varied within or between taxonomic groups, providing an overall genome coverage of between 1.3cM and 5.4cM across all individuals. No significant linkage was found to be associated with the observed intellectual decline in any tested species. Additional transcriptome analysis of grey matter from the frontal lobes of 2 feral subjects who were deceased, along with matching control samples from the Zootopia University tissue library showed significant differences in the levels of 47 genes involved in neurotransmitter and neuromodulator reception in afflicted mammals. Promoter analysis of these genes was conducted across all species in the Honeywell Genomic Database, with no significant variance detected in any mammalian species regardless of taxonomic group. Based on these findings, a genetic component to instinctual recidivism was not found using a comparative genomic approach, and environmental or chemical triggers leading to altered neurotransmitter and neuromodulator receptor expression should be considered for future studies.

* * *

A harsh buzzing slowly invaded his consciousness, and drug him from the depths of an exhausted, dreamless sleep. Even before he opened his eyes, he knew that the respite hadn’t been nearly long enough. As he rolled over onto his side, his body made contact with something soft but unyielding; contact with reality drew back the memory of where he was, and what the buzzing could only mean.

A sense of dread and urgency filled him as his eyes snapped open, and the dim staff lounge came into focus. Sitting up from the corner of a couch that he’d managed to claim a few hours ago, he silenced his phone quickly, so as not to disturb the rest of the sleeping staff. All around the room doctors, nurses and techs had claimed every possible surface in a desperate bid to get some rest before the next wave of patients arrived.

Squinting at the harsh glare of his phone in the low light of the room, he sighed as his fears were confirmed.

[Dr. Caldwell to OR 7 in 15min. Savage mammal victim. Patient details forwarded via email.]

The text message was succinct, and the fact that the patient was going directly to the OR suggested that it was going to be a bad one. Checking the time displayed at the top of his phone, the ferret frowned in realization that he had only been off the floor for about three hours so far, and that it should have been at least another three before the schedule dictated that he be back on it again.

_‘What the fuck...'_ he thought. _‘Ron, Gail and Brian should all be on duty right now.’_

He shook his head. Those _should-be’s_ were increasingly becoming a rarity as the savage mammal situation continued to spiral further out of control. That _situation_ was the whole reason he was on call tonight... It was the whole reason why _every_ mammal on staff at Zootopia General was on call... Every doctor, nurse, lab tech and even janitor was on call for every hour of the day, and on every day of the week, and even then it still wasn’t enough. No director had stated it officially yet, but there was every reason to believe that the marathon schedule would persist for as long as the crisis continued, and with not a shred of progress being made on figuring out how to stop it, there was not a single reason to believe that it ever would.

_It_ had started just over a month ago, and already there had been more than six-hundred casualties related to the attacks; outside of war, it was the worst disaster Zootopia had ever seen. Well over two-hundred of those had been critical, life threatening injuries, and despite the best efforts of himself and the other physicians, not all of the victims could be saved...

He’d already lost one mammal today…or was it yesterday? Little details like the date had ceased to have meaning weeks ago. All that mattered were the patients, but all too often, there was little he or anyone else could do. In the most recent case, a rabbit had been mauled by a savage cougar right in downtown Savannah Central. They had barely managed to get her onto a gurney when her heart had simply given out. At the time, he’d guessed that she’d already lost half of her total blood volume, and there was literally nothing that could have been done, but still he had tried. What else was he to do?

For over thirty minutes he and the nurses had battled to get her heart restarted, even going so far as to cut open her chest and attempting to manually massage the failed organ before trying to shock life back to it. It was only when he had felt a paw on his shoulder and looked back to see one of his colleagues shake her head that his singular focus had broke, and he finally had no choice but to call it.

He shook his head as he brought himself back to the present, and a bleak realization came to him: _‘If there’s one advantage to being dead-on-your-feet exhausted, it’s that I don’t have to worry about seeing her family in my dreams.’_

It was an indivisible part of the job, of course, but it never got any easier. Telling her husband that he’d lost his wife was bad enough, and the mammal’s grief had almost broken through his professional façade, but it was the kits that had completely shattered him. None of them had been old enough to understand that their mother was never coming back.

_‘Would someone have to tell Debbie that I’m not coming home? Would someone have to tell me that…’_ He cut off the thought with a snarl as he walked quietly over to the nest of power cables where he and the other staff had taken to recharging the various devices that were as drained as their owners were. He retrieved his tablet and began reviewing the incoming patient’s details as he moved to exit the lounge.

His family was safe, and he knew that in his heart. To date the outlying counties, and even the other primary cities, had been utterly untouched by the savagery that was plaguing Zootopia. He had been an emergency transfer from Deerborn County, where he had lived his entire life, save for his university years. As an agricultural region almost a hundred miles away from the big city, the most _interesting_ cases that had come through his door back then were only the occasional farming accidents, or the results of a brawl after the local high school hoofball games.

That had all changed about twenty days ago. _‘Was it really that long ago?’_ he thought to himself as he continued to traverse the maze of sleeping staff on his way to the door.

He could have refused the transfer, of course, but neither he, nor any of the other recruited physicians had done so. They had left Deerborn Hospital with little more than a skeleton staff, but everyone knew that it was Zootopia that needed their skills, and for the past three weeks they hadn’t stopped using them once.

Just as he reached the door to the hall, a voice behind him called out in a groggy whisper, “Another one, Martin?”

Looking behind him, he saw that his efforts to be stealthy hadn’t been entirely successful. The amber eyes of a similarly dressed tigress seemed to glow in the darkness, although they had lost some of the brightness that they had possessed when he first met Dr. Emilia Hart. Unlike him, she was one of the regular staff at the hospital, but her skills as an oncologist had been set aside since the crisis began.

“‘Fraid so, Emmy. Just one for now, but more might be en-route.” He gave a weary smile to the tigress. _‘More are always en-route,’_ he thought. “If they haven’t buzzed you yet, you might be in the clear. Try and get some more sleep.”

She nodded and returned her head to the small table she had managed to claim. Officially, they were only supposed to be on shift for ten to sixteen hours a day, but unofficially standard protocol had been abandoned weeks ago and these days it wasn’t uncommon for them to work for twenty-four hours straight, moving from one patient to the next with no break in between. All the staff just collapsed where and when they could.

It wasn’t just the mammals going savage causing the influx of patients; the whole city was a powder keg that was already in the process of going off. Not that he had seen any of it himself. He had barely managed to take a step outside the hospital since he’d arrived, but the number of patients injured at the increasingly violent protests far outstripped the tally, and sometimes even the severity, of the actual savage victims.

_‘And then there are the vigilante victims,’_ he thought glumly. Those had only started coming in over the past week or so. Universally they had been predators who had been beaten, tazed, or stabbed to death’s door. He and the other staff had fought to drag those mammals back from the threshold, but they hadn't been able to save them all.

Passing by one of the supply rooms, he nodded his head towards the armed ZNG soldier standing guard outside of it. It was certainly an oddity to have armed soldiers in what was theoretically a civilian hospital, but the Zootopian National Guard had been called up all over the city during the past week to secure key infrastructure, hospitals included. Ostensibly, they were present to deal with any potential savage reversions occurring within the building, but unlike the ZPD, these soldiers weren’t armed with less-than-lethal options.

Slug-throwers were almost unheard of in Zootopia, but they were still used during wartime, as well as in the more rural areas, where birds of prey were still a threat to smaller mammals. The thought of using one against a fellow mammal was very much a foreign concept to Martin, but the ZI-51 automatic rifle hanging from the wolf’s chest was testament to the severity of the situation. Martin had never had to treat a gunshot wound throughout his entire career, and he silently hoped that he would never have to.

Even more silently, he suspected that the soldiers here also hoped to never inflict one. They may have been trained to kill, but they were still mammals, and it was clear that they genuinely wanted to help. This wolf, one Corporal John McLaughlin, hadn’t hesitated to step in a few days ago to help administer first aid to patients when the hospital had been inundated by the aftermath of a riot in Savannah Central. The staff had been swamped by over thirty casualties arriving within minutes of each other, and John had moved from gurney to gurney, applying pressure, dressings, and even performing CPR in one instance until the proper medical staff could take over. He had never moved far from his post, though. Seeing him at the time, it had struck Martin as utterly incongruous that this mammal, who was fighting to keep others alive, would ever _want_ to have to kill another, but fate rarely catered to the wants of individuals, and in times like these, _wants_ were luxuries rarely granted.

Fortunately for everyone, the effective role of the stationed soldiers was to safeguard the valuable medical supplies that were being rushed in from all over the country to keep Zootopia’s medical network stable during the crisis. It was all too often that these supplies became hot commodities on the black market, and with the traditional economy continuing its cascade into oblivion, word was that even the smallest doses were fetching hundreds on the street. From the obvious choices, like the various narcotic painkillers, to the simplest antibiotics; all of it was quickly approaching disastrously low levels. The government was spending heavily to keep these constraints supplied, and these soldiers represented a highly visible and potentially lethal deterrent to any mammals with the nefarious aspiration to disrupt or take advantage of the situation.

Filing those thoughts away, he glanced at the details of the incoming patient on his tablet while he waited in line for the elevator behind a family of white-tailed deer. Most likely they were on their way to visit a friend or relative, but he couldn’t help but notice that the father was warily glaring at him, and had even moved to interposition himself  between his fawns and the much smaller physician.

Like most of the staff, Martin had crashed in the first floor lounge. It was closest to the ER, which was where his talents were generally required, but he’d need to head up a few floors to get to the assigned operating room and scrub in.

He scrolled through what information he had on the incoming patient:

  * 38 year-old female coyote attacked in Tundra Town by a snow leopard
  * Extensive bite wounds to the head, face, and neck with additional claw wounds to the legs and abdomen
  * Compound fracture of the left radius and ulna
  * Probable fracture of the right femur



He paused briefly. _'This seems familiar. Isn’t this the case I dealt with last week?'_ he thought. A quick look at the name of the victim, Wendy Grey, didn’t match any previous cases he recognized. He sighed in realization that there had simply been so many similar cases over the past weeks, that it was inevitable that they would start to blur together into a single chaotic continuum. He wasn’t so far gone that he had forgotten the outcome of the previous coyote he'd treated, though.

_'I managed to save her, at least. Maybe lightning will strike twice,'_ he thought as he considered the probable surgical priorities based on the current list of injuries.

Based on the previous victims, the bite wounds to the neck would need to be top priority, followed by the claw wounds to the abdomen. If the attacker had managed to puncture the jugular vein or carotid artery, he would need to move quickly if there was to be any hope at all.

His medical training had barely even brushed over bite wounds, as outside of a battlefield or a single nip during a brawl, it just wasn’t something commonly seen. Back in Deerborn, he had maybe treated a serious bite wound once in the last decade. Here, however, he and every other physician had been subjected to a crash course on the matter, and he had discovered that there was at least some advantage to being from a rural area.

Although they didn’t see it too often, the puncture wounds from farm accidents were similar in many ways to the type of tissue damage that was caused by feline and canine bite wounds. Additionally, when he had first glimpsed the wounds caused by claws, he had been struck by how similar the damage was to mammals that had been injured by threshers out in the field.  While those cases generally inflicted damage that was more severe than what one mammal could inflict on another, it was much more disconcerting to know that another sentient being had tried to come even close in the first place.

It was one instance where he had been able to help develop the overall treatment protocols that were now being used by hospitals all over Zootopia.

_'How long is this elevator going to be?'_ he seethed internally, but he could only give a frustrated sigh and continue to read through what information the EMTs had provided.

  * Blood Type: CEA-1.1-, field transfusion of Hemopure blood substitute, 2 units



“Fuck!” he cursed quietly. “She just has to be negative.”

In any other situation, having a canine universal donor would have been a gift from the Makers themselves. Their blood could be used in almost any _Canis_ species without fear of rejection. When the tables were turned however, it became a much bleaker situation. This mammal could only accept CEA-1.1- blood, and the hospital was nearing critical levels for it, as well as whole blood for almost _every_ species in Zootopia.

The public had responded to the crisis, thankfully, and donation drives were going on all over the city, as well as in the outlying regions. But even with refrigerated trucks arriving almost hourly, they couldn’t keep up with the demand. They needed as much of the universal blood types as they could get their paws on for _all_ the species in Zootopia, but for some species, those individuals were a distinct rarity. In the case of the _Canidae_ family, there were over thirteen different blood types, and out of all of them, only CEA1.1- could be universally accepted by all _Canidae_. For all the other blood types, which made up the majority of donations, they could only be used with mammals of the same blood type. The situation was even worse for the feline species. There were only three blood groups to deal with, but no universal donors to speak of.

...And equines were an utter nightmare, with over four-hundred _thousand_ possible antigen combinations. Rapid field kits had made deciphering this mess a possibility, but unless you were very lucky, finding a perfect match was unlikely unless a parent or sibling was present. While it was possible to remove those antigens from the red blood cells, the process took time...time that they didn’t have in emergencies. For them, blood substitutes were the only option in the field, and the medical network strived to keep a wide variety of blood on paw...and be ready at a moment's notice to send out whatever type a hospital or clinic needed, whenever they needed it.

Fortunately, this was another area where the ZNG had really shined, as they had taken over the logistical challenges of moving all medical supplies around the city. Their assistance in keeping roads and ports clear, as well as prioritizing _anything_ healthcare related had already saved countless lives. Having armed guards also made the possibility of shipments being hijacked practically non-existent. While the ZNG was only positioned in places like hospitals and government buildings currently, with the state of emergency having been officially declared, they had orders to treat looters... _severely_.

A chime signaled that the elevator had finally arrived, and Martin moved to step inside. However, he was stopped when a not-so-gentle hoof pressed into his chest. Looking up, he saw that the buck had ushered his family into the car and now stood to block the ferret’s path.

“You can take the next one,” he said simply.

Martin looked over his shoulder, and saw that Corporal McLaughlin had seen what was going on, and had already started towards them.

Looking back to the deer, Martin roughly pushed the hoof away from him before speaking. “I don’t think so. What’s going to happen is that I’m getting on this elevator, and then I’m going to go save the life of a mammal who is due to arrive in any minute. Now, either you can ride with me, or that nice soldier there is going to toss you and your family out on your collective asses.” He motioned with his head in the direction of the approaching wolf.

“You can’t talk to me that way!” the deer sputtered, while Martin calmly walked past him. “I’ll have you fired for this, you filthy pred!”

Martin gave a bark of laughter at the threat, before tapping his keycard onto the sensor panel.  The act allowed him to override the floor selection of the deer and his family, and he tapped the button for the fifth floor. “Good luck with that. Last I saw, you can find the head physician passed out in the lounge just down the hall. Of course, he is just another _‘filthy pred’,_ so you’re probably not going to make much headway.”

Motioning with his paws, he continued, “Either get in, or get out. I don’t fucking care which.”

The corporal arrived, and placed a firm paw on the deer’s shoulder, but looked to Martin. “Is there a problem, Dr. Caldwell?”

The ferret crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the deer before replying. “I think that’s up to this gentlemammal, Corporal. I’ve got to get up to the OR, and I don’t care if he stays or goes, just so long as I get where I’m needed.”

John looked down at the deer in his paw. “Sir, I need you to either step away or move into the elevator. The doc has places to be, and I’d prefer to have a day that is quiet, and doesn’t involve physically removing you from the premises.”

A toothy grin spread across the larger mammal’s face, belying his words and daring the deer to try something. The rise in anti-predator sentiment had not gone unnoticed by the ZNG, and even some of its members had been targeted by the angry public...those instances had not worked out well for the aggressors. The ZNG and the ZAF looked after their own, and an attack on one was an attack on all. To give them credit, they never pushed things too far over the line, but they made damn sure to finish anything that another mammal had started.

“What’s it gonna be?” he asked, looking the deer directly in the eyes. Martin almost laughed at the display of dominance, but he had to give the wolf credit, it was working.

The deer looked nervously from the wolf to the ferret before submissively bowing his head and stepping into the elevator. “Uhhh, third floor, please,” he stated meekly, as Martin hit the button to close the door.

Martin shook his head. “Sorry, once the override is used, it can’t be changed until we get to the assigned floor. I’ll punch it in for you once we get to five.”

He paused momentarily. He had crossed a line with the deer, as the cervid had done with him. He was about to apologize to the deer when the other mammal started mumbling to her mate, but not so quietly that the ferret couldn’t hear her.

“Why can’t they at least make them wear those Tame Band things? Did you _see_ how many preds there are working here?”

“Beats me, hun,” the male replied, matching her disdain for the situation, once again making a sidelong glance at Martin.

The ferret sighed and rubbed his eyes. _'This elevator needs to go faster,'_ he cursed mentally as his desire for reconciliation evaporated. The hospital was effectively an island in the middle of a raging sea, isolated from much of the social and political turmoil gripping the city, and the staff here had neither the time, nor the patience to deal with those aspects of the crisis. Trying to save the life of every mammal who came through their doors was their first, last, and only priority. _'That I’ve been rude to some speciest assholes doesn’t really matter.'_

He should have just let the matter drop, but he was tired. Tired of dealing with an ignorant public who wanted nothing more than easy answers, when the research hadn’t even figured out what the right questions were. He was tired of having to pull off the impossible day after day, only to be reviled for what he had been born as, instead of acknowledged for what he had accomplished.

Although he didn’t know this deer and his family, he had an idea of who they were here to see. One of yesterday’s casualties had been a teenaged white-tailed doe. She hadn’t been attacked by any predator; she had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught up in a protest turned riot. He had personally pinned her right humerus back together himself, and had also stitched up the lacerations that had resulted from when she had been trampled by the mob. He had even spoken with her afterwards, and knew that it was a tiger member of the ZPD who had forced back the crowds and taken her to an ambulance. That officer had even been in to check up on her earlier this morning before heading back out onto the streets for another day of dealing with problems that even Martin wasn’t envious of.

_'What species we are shouldn’t matter, it’s our actions that define us,'_ he thought to himself, but that apparently didn’t matter to her father. All he saw was a potentially savage predator. Something to be feared. Something to be hated.

Even though he should, the ferret was just too damn tired to let yet another insult slide.

“Why don’t we wear them?” he posited and looked directly at the doe, raising a single digit into the air. “One, until Talon Industries responds to the ZMA’s request for more information about the conditions under which the collars activate, they are actively discouraging _any_ physician from wearing them while on duty. Quite simply, the early data says that they are triggered by high levels of stress...and in case you haven’t noticed, _every_ mammal here is skating on the edge twenty-four seven. All we need is for one of these Tame Bands to decide that a physician’s gone savage, when in fact they’re just at the point of exhaustion from trying to resuscitate a patient.” He held up a second digit. “And two: We can’t find any, even if we weren’t concerned about them going off at the worst possible time.”

The chime from the door announced that he was about to get a reprieve from the situation, and as he had promised, he tapped his keycard on the sensor and hit the button for the third floor. As the doors started to open, he didn’t look back at the family, but spoke over his shoulder as he exited the elevator. “As for why there are so many predator species working here: Can you do this?” He then proceeded to move his right paw through a complex series of patterns, touching his digits to each other in every combination possible, all in less than a second. The routine was a holdover from the piano lessons of his youth, but he still used them as a warm-up prior to surgery.

Turning on his heel, he faced the family, and his voice was utterly serious. He made sure to look each of the adult mammals in the eye as the elevator doors started to close. “Predator species make up almost two-thirds of the surgeons in Zootopia, and about thirty percent of the physicians and nurses overall. Hooves and microsurgery don’t tend to mesh well together. Have a nice day, and I hope that Sam’s doing well. Let her know that I’ll be in to check on her this afternoon!”

He had to smile at the shocked expression on their faces as the door closed, but he gave himself a shake and tried to dispel the unproductive thoughts from his mind.

Over the past three weeks, he had become all too familiar with this floor. As with the rest of the hospital, the incessant humming of the fluorescent lights and the smell of air thick with disinfectants faded unnoticed into the background of his awareness.

The support staff was just as stretched in keeping the ORs clean, as the physicians were in keeping them in near continual use throughout the day. Normally, there was enough time between patients to ensure that every square micrometer of the room was completely scrubbed down, but now the most that they could manage was to just sterilize the tools that they’d need, and what surfaces they could, and just hope for the best.

Passing by the nurse’s desk, he noticed that OR-7 was supposed to be in the paws of Dr. Brian Codsworth. The otter was another one of the regular staff at the hospital, and as such had been here right from the start. The fact that he was a trauma surgeon meant that he had been one of the most overworked mammals at the hospital during the last few weeks, and Martin didn’t like the implications of being called in to replace him.

He made his way to the prep room for his assigned OR, and was pleased to see that the nurses were already hard at work getting everything prepared for the arrival of their patient. A male wolf was at the scrub sink working a soap-covered brush roughly over his paws and arms. Martin grabbed a hood and muzzle mask, and slipped them over his head and face before joining him at the sink, kicking a switch at its base to extend a small step to help him reach the required height.

“Any idea what happened to Dr. Codsworth, Andy?” he asked while he tore open the single-use brush and began working it over his claws and paws.  

Dr. Andrew Gilbert was a first-year resident from Zootopia University. Given the scarcity of trained physicians, even the senior students were being called upon to scrub in, even though they weren’t technically licensed yet. The reality was that none of the residents should have been expected to take on these burdens. Residencies were hard enough on their own; asking these young physicians to perform tasks that were normally handled by specialists was unheard of, and spoke to the direness of the situation that the city was facing.

“He just collapsed, Dr. Caldwell,” the wolf replied tiredly. “We had just finished scrubbing in and were getting gowned up, when he fainted. I just got back from carrying him to one of the recovery rooms. Nurse Perry had a hunch and checked his blood sugar level...it was forty...”

Martin nodded his head in understanding. They were all dead on their feet. “Brian would have been going for thirty hours straight by this point, Andy, and unless I missed my guess, he hadn’t stopped that entire time.” He looked over to the gloomy wolf and reached out with an elbow to lightly poke the other mammal in the ribs. “He’ll be fine.”

He paused momentarily, as this was still a teachable moment. “Andy, if it happens again, let one of the nurses handle it. If the patient had arrived before I got here, there would have been no physician on paw. I know that this isn’t how things were supposed to go, but you are a doctor...well, the larval stage of one, at least.”

The wolf gave a laugh at the comment but nodded his head. “I understand, Dr. Caldwell...and I actually realized that just after I caught Dr. Codsworth and contaminated myself.” He shrugged and continued to scrub his arms before running them under the water to rinse the soap from them. “By that point the damage had been done, and I didn’t want another mammal to have to scrub in again.”

Martin thought about the situation before replying as he also finished scrubbing his paws and arms. “Your heart was in the right place, but until another physician arrives, you’re in charge of the OR.” He motioned with his head into the operating room proper as the two mammals backed into the room. “Even though Nurse Hooper here is more experienced than the two of us combined, and could probably handle this patient all by herself blindfolded, it’s our duty to be there for the patient first.”

He took the sterile towel from the older rabbit who clicked her tongue at the physician. “I already gave Dr. Gilbert a good talking-to when he screwed up initially,” she said, shaking her head dramatically as Martin moved to the UV fur dryer mounted on the wall to wick away the final dregs of moisture from his fur. “I don’t know what they’re teaching in med school these days, but even if a bomb goes off you keep yourself sterile until you can figure out what’s happening.”

Martin had to laugh at the rabbit’s tone. Charlotte was one of the head surgical nurses, as well as being a nurse practitioner...and the unofficial wrath of the Makers towards any mammal in her care. “There are some lessons that are best learnt in the field, Nurse Hooper,” he said as he stepped into the surgical gown held up by the doe, and after putting on two layers of gloves, he performed the final tie on the gown himself. “Somehow I think the lesson today will be far easier to remember for Dr. Gilbert than a simple bullet point during a lecture.”

“He better remember,” she added menacingly as she stood on a step stool to help the much larger wolf finish donning his own gown and gloves.

If it was possible for a wolf to shrink any further under the gaze of another mammal, Martin hadn’t seen it. Looking over to the rest of the team, he could see that they were all prepared. In addition to Dr. Gilbert and Nurse Hooper, he was fortunate to have another two nurses present. Both Kevin Williams and Jenine Heath were experienced ER nurses, and the antelope and raccoon would be instrumental in dealing with some of the trauma that would be coming through the door any minute.

Nurse Heath was checking the monitor mounted on the wall of the surgical suite. Martin could see that some additional patient details had been added. “Do we have a better idea of the injuries that she’s suffered?” he asked as he checked over the location of the various pieces of equipment. He was glad to see the tray of orthopedic surgical tools were ready for use. They might seem primitive; sometimes consisting of little more than a fancy-looking chrome hammer or drill bit, but if they needed to pin the forearm bones or the suspected femur break in place, they would be essential.

“Nothing since the last update, which could be either good or bad,” Jenine reported.  She shrugged, and began checking over the bags of various IV fluids that they would likely require. “Either nothing’s changed, and she may even be stable, or she’s crashing and they don’t have time to send us an update.” Checking on the ETA listed in the corner of the monitor, she sighed. “Either way, they’ll be here in two minutes, at most.”

Martin nodded. “Okay everyone, we know that there’s severe puncture trauma to the face and neck, and that’s going to be our top priority. We’ll need to check for any damage to the major vessels before we do anything else. If there are arterial bleeds, clamp them off unless they are utterly vital and we’ll assess the situation as it goes.” He looked over at the raccoon before continuing, “Jenine, please tell me we have CEA-1.1 negative blood for this one?”

She pointed to a cooler resting in the corner. “I snagged three units, but that’s all we’re going to have for now.”

Andy gave a low growl. “That’s it? She’s already had two units of blood substitute. That stuff’s fine in a pinch, but she’s going to need real blood.” The wolf looked over to Martin. “If we need it, I’m CEA-1.1 neg. I already donated this week, but if push comes to shove, I’ve got a lot more of it in me than she does.”

Nodding his head, Martin had a smile on his muzzle at the young doctor’s offer. He was right, an average wolf generally had between eight and twelve units of blood in them, while coyotes only had between five and eight. “Let’s hope we don’t need to go that far, Andy. Normally, we doctors only pour our hearts and souls into our work, but if necessary, we’ll leave you enough to at least make it to the lounge.”

The comment drew chuckles from the assembled mammals, but they all understood that such actions may well be required. Martin was certain that almost every one of them had donated blood within the past two weeks, and would do so again as soon as policy allowed or the situation demanded. Bringing himself back to the present, he continued, “Aside from the facial trauma, our next concern will be checking for GI perforation. If those claw wounds are as bad as I think they are, we’ll need to go in and resect the intestines. If that’s the case, infection is almost a certainty.” Looking over to Nurse Hooper he pointed to the IV fluids already prepared. “Did you have anything like piperacillin-tazobactam set up?”

The nurse nodded and pointed to one of the small bags. “Ertapenem and Moxifloxacin are ready to go.”

“That should do,” Martin replied. The antibiotics would be needed to stave off the infection that was almost a certainty if the bowels had been compromised. The bacteria-rich contents would rapidly infect the abdominal cavity, and without quick treatment, death would soon follow. It would be an agonizing way to die, and this coyote wouldn’t be forced to face it if he had anything to say about it.

Movement from the prep room drew his attention, and he gave a sigh of relief as he saw that the long-eared form of Dr. Beth Lavson was scrubbing in. “Well, that’s a relief,” he said out loud. The hare was a colleague from Deerborn General, and an anesthesiologist by training. Given the number of repairs that were going to be required here, keeping the patient sedated would be a blessing. The resetting of the broken forearm alone was going to be agonizing for the poor coyote.

A chime from the monitor drew the attention of all the mammals in the room. “The helicopter's just landed,” Charlotte said, her eyes checking over every element of the theater. “They’ll be down in two minutes at most.” She then moved to help Dr. Lavson get gowned up, and positioned at the head of the operating table.

“Okay everyone, remember to keep clear of the EMTs and nurses when they come in. They’re not sterile, so let them move the patient to the table, but avoid contact until they’re out of the room. This isn’t ideal, but we don’t have time for normal procedures,” Martin said as he subconsciously started moving his paws through their piano warm-up routine as he waited. “If you see anything off, don’t hesitate, call it out.” Looking over to Andy, he continued, “I want you to focus on the abdominal and leg wounds. Assess the damage, and work to clean up what you can. Don’t try to resect the tissue until I’m with you.”

Looking to Beth he could see that she was as exhausted as he was, but that wouldn’t slow either of them down. “Glad you could make it, Beth. Once we get her stabilized, I’ll leave it up to you to determine when you start sedation. Just let me know so we don’t have her waking up at a bad time.”

The hare nodded her head in understanding, as they and the rest of the team stood quietly and waited for the inevitable.

Their wait wasn’t a long one, and without pause, a gurney was pushed into the OR by a group of four mammals. Two of them, an oryx and jaguar, were dressed in flight suits and still wearing their helmets. The remaining two mammals, a mink and an arctic wolf, were familiar to Martin, and were part of the ER nursing staff.

Without pausing, the oryx began rapidly summarizing the patient's condition. “Female, coyote, thirty-eight years old, pulse one-twenty, BP ninety over sixty. Was found unconscious with multiple bite and claw wounds to the face, abdomen and legs. Bleeding is under control after QuikClot, and two units of Hemopure were administered in the field. Compound fracture of the left forearm, and possible fracture of the ribs and right femur.”

The team quickly came alongside the operating table and rapidly transferred the patient to its surface before abruptly backing out of the room. “Good luck; there’s probably more incoming,” the jaguar flight paramedic said dourly before leaving.

Taking his first look at the patient, Martin couldn’t hide the grimace on his face even behind his mask. The damage to the coyote’s face was extreme, with entire strips of flesh peeled back from the cranium and muzzle. In several places, the white gleam of bone could be seen through the mangled tissue, and even when they were done here today, this mammal would require extensive reconstructive surgery to even begin to repair the damage that had been inflicted.

He didn’t need to look at the abdominal wounds to know that the intestine had been perforated; the foul smell of the open bowel was plainly obvious to every mammal in the room, and he wrinkled his nose at the familiar, putrid scent.

Two spurs of bone protruded from the coyote’s left forearm, which had been packed with gauze and immobilized in a splint that was already being cut off by Nurse Hooper.

The damage was bad, but the ferret was relieved to see that the patient, although unconscious, was breathing on her own, and that there was no obvious arterial bleeding from the wounds to the throat.

Looking over the mangled form in front of him, he couldn’t help but be taken aback at the damage that one mammal could do to another. He had seen the results of assaults prior to this, every physician had as a matter of their training, but this...this was different. This wasn’t the result of two _intelligent_ mammals getting into a heated altercation.

_'She was mauled by...by an animal!'_ The thought was becoming ever more prominent in his mind over the past three weeks. He didn’t know if it was just the number of mammals that he’d seen, or the exhaustion that had become the entirety of his existence, but at some point the savage mammals had ceased to be just mammals afflicted with some disease or condition; they were beasts, they were _savages_.

He didn’t know why this was happening. The events were so random, so spread out, and affecting such a wide swath of species that they defied all epidemiological reason. The thought that this might be the new _normal_ was terrifying, but he pushed the feeling aside.

_'Figuring out why this is happening is above my pay grade, and I have more important things to worry about right now,'_ he chastised himself mentally. _'It doesn’t matter if it keeps happening or not, it doesn’t matter how many there were, or how many there will be, this is the one that is my focus right now.'_

He took a deep breath and narrowed his concentration to the mess of raw meat in front of him. For now, he couldn’t think of her as another mammal, but he mentally made her a promise before he closed off the part of himself that could feel: _'I am going to save you!'_

With a steady voice, he reached out with an even steadier paw as he began the process of dragging this mammal back from death’s door. “Forceps!”

.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.

**End Notes:**

Hello everyone! This is eng050599 and if you’ve read any of my work, you know that I try to include some explanations for the various scientific or cultural elements that are included in anything I write, and this chapter is no exception.

When WildeNick asked me to contribute this chapter, I began by thinking about the overall themes that needed to be covered. He provided an outline of what he wanted to be included in the chapter, but the overall tone was to show how the medical community was being affected by the crisis. While I was planning, I remembered the old story of the Little Dutch Boy.

For those who aren’t aware of it, this is a very old tale, possibly dating back to the 16th century (or even the 8th century BCE if parallels between it and the Aruni Upanishad are real). In summary, a little Dutch boy was walking home from school one evening when he heard the sound of water falling. Tracing down the source of the noise, he saw that one of the dikes had sprung a leak. Knowing that this leak could quickly spread and cause the dike to fail, possibly destroying his village, he dropped his books and plugged the leak with his hand.

Realizing that he could not move, the boy cried out for help, but no one came. As night fell, and the temperature dropped, he resolutely held his ground, keeping the leak from growing. He knew that his parents would be worried about him, but for their safety and everyone else’s he stayed firm.

He stayed there all night, keeping the leak plugged, and it was only when the sun rose that a group of workers noticed the boy, who was now fighting to stay awake. Quickly realizing the situation, the workers gathered help, and the leak was plugged. The boy was hailed as a hero and rightly so. When circumstances called upon him, he stepped up and did what was right, regardless of the personal hardship.

...So why use that story as inspiration? When tragedy occurs, I’m of the opinion that there are two kinds of people: those who step back and those who step up. Our first responders are almost universally in the latter group. When so many others flee from a crisis, they are the ones who instead run towards it. They put their safety, their health, and even their lives on the line, and it’s something that we tend to take for granted.

Those who have been following Three Months a Fox have seen how the situation has degraded for predators, but also for prey. Throughout it all, the first responders have been stressed to the breaking point, and I wanted to show how, even at this point; when confronted by physical and mental exhaustion, They. Do. Not. Stop! Each and every one of them are Little Dutch Boys, plugging the leak and holding back the tide until either the leak is fixed, or they are washed away by the flood.

Just something to consider.

Now, any of my readers probably know what comes next: **Science Time!** ...well an abbreviated version at least. This is where I take a little time and go into some of the detail underlying the terminology or concepts that are introduced in the chapter. This time around, there isn’t as much as when I’m writing Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, but there are still some details to flesh out.

**CEA (Canidae Erythrocyte Antigen):** This is actually based on our DEA (Dog Erythrocyte Antigen) blood grouping for dogs. In canines, there have been over 13 blood groups identified, but the major antigens (a foreign substance that produces an immune response) are from DEA-4, DEA-6 and DEA-1.1. Since DEA-4 and DEA-6 are _almost_ universal in canines (98% have both), they do not factor into transfusions. DEA-1.1 however does have a wide distribution, and canines with DEA-1.1+ types are considered as being universal recipients, much like humans with type AB+ blood. They can accept blood from any other type, but the reverse is not true. Canines that are DEA-1.1- can donate blood to any other canine, but cannot receive any type other than DEA-1.1-. This is the same as with human type O- blood.

On that note, if you haven’t done so I encourage everyone to donate regardless of your blood type. It just takes a little bit of time, and it can save many lives. In Canada, there is no compensation for this (cookies and juice you can have though), but as I mentioned earlier, it’s the difference between stepping back or stepping up to help.

Now I’m not a fan of the Canadian Blood Services catch-phrase, “Blood, it’s in you to give.” because it’s inaccurate. Blood is in me to transport oxygen, nutrients, and chemical signals from one region of my body to another...but I can spare a bit of it every now and then.

**Non-Human Transfusions:** In keeping with the blood theme, it should be noted that many mammalian species don’t respond to transfusions as humans do. In humans, you naturally have antibodies against foreign blood types in your system. For example, if you have type O blood, you have antibodies specific to the A and B antigens even if you’ve never been exposed to them before. This isn’t the case for some other mammals. Many of them do not naturally have antibodies against foreign blood types in their system, and this gives a bit of an edge to the medical practitioners in Zootopia.

I wasn’t kidding about horses having over 400,000 blood types, which would create an absolute nightmare for doctors...but if it’s their first transfusion, it doesn’t matter what blood type they receive.

The catch? This only works ONCE!

After this point, the mammal will have antibodies against those blood types that are foreign to it, and as such care has to be taken to avoid exposing the patient to this antigen again. Failure to do so will result in a potentially fatal reaction to the blood product. As a result, it would make sense in Zootopia for physicians to try to match blood types when they can so that they still have that get out of jail free card if a more serious emergency occurs. Also it would be critical that any mammal that receives an off-type transfusion have that information on them at all times, so as to alert medical staff of the potential risk.

**The Pred/Prey Ratio in Medicine:** This is something that I’ve covered in Lost Causes, but I’ll make a quick summary here. When you look at this chapter, you might have noticed that the proportion of predators in the hospital is quite a bit higher than in the general population. From the film, we know that the normal Pred/Prey ratio is 1:9, but in this hospital, it’s much closer to 50/50. Why the discrepancy?

Quite simply, paws.

When we look at the types of mammals who have paws, which are naturally more capable of fine movement, we see that it’s basically limited to the Carnivora and Rodentia orders. Most obligate herbivores fall into the hoofed mammals (ungulates), and even with significant evolutionary pressure to develop mobility in the forelimbs, they would be at a real disadvantage relative to mammals with paws when it comes to manual dexterity. As Martin put it: “Hooves and microsurgery don’t tend to mesh well.”

In my canon, even toed ungulates can be physicians, but would tend to lean towards specializations that don’t necessitate extremely fine motor control. These fields would normally be filled by either rodents or predators...and really most of the rodents are small mammals, with species like rabbits (or capybaras) representing the largest species in the order. Compared to the predator species, who range from small to large mammals, they are limited as to what kinds of patients they could effectively work on.

...and there are no horses in medicine in my version of Zootopia. Having only 2 or 3 opposable digits is hard enough for medicine, but having a single digit? Sorry equines, but you got the short end of the stick on this one.

Finally, some of you might be wondering what was with the blurb at the beginning of the chapter. Well, WildeNick wanted me to give an example of what a real research article from Zootopia would look like, and that paragraph is what’s called an journal abstract. Basically, it’s a summary of the larger research paper, and provides a Cole’s Notes (Cliffs or Spark Notes for American readers) version of what was done in a study, and what the results are.

In this case, it described a comparative genomic study, trying to isolate a possible cause for the savage mammal crisis. Now of course, we know what the underlying cause is, but for the mammals of Zootopia this isn’t the case. The epidemiology of the attacks would be defying all medical reasoning, and something like this would be part of the process to try and figure out what is causing the outbreak. By comparing the genomes (DNA) and transcriptomes (RNA) of the savage mammals, to unaffected members of the same species, they would hope to identify some underlying genetic reason for the regression.

By this point in the crisis, the medical and scientific community would be starting to clue into the fact that this isn’t a disease or genetic condition. Something is causing mammals to go savage; either environmental or chemical, but what that could be is still an unknown. Now, of course there are certain members of the government, as well as the various scientific and medical organizations who wouldn’t want this type of research to succeed, and would be working very hard to discredit this and other research being conducted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regardless, I’ll close things off for now. If any readers have science-related questions, please feel free to send me a PM, and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible. My research is mainly focused on comparative genomics, molecular biology, and biochemistry, but I’m more than willing to try to help out with any questions or comments that you may have. My thanks go out to WildeNick for inviting me to contribute to this chapter, and it’s been a pleasure to collaborate with him on my own story as well as Three Months a Fox.  
> On that note, I have my usual disclaimer for those who might be interested in Lost Causes and Broken Dreams. It’s not a happy story. In fact it is downright heartrending at times. It is based upon the difficulties that interspecies couples would have in trying to have children, and the anguish that would be all too common for species on the edge of compatibility. I will admit to being brought to tears several times when writing it, and I have been both cursed and praised by my readers for doing likewise to them.  
> It’s highly technical, but I make a point to try and explain the underlying science...and it’s not all tears and gloom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was my contribution to the second Zootopia Anthology, and it is a side story about the Fangwells and their time at the Honeywell Centre.
> 
> I was under a word limit when writing this...but I still managed to go 1,000 words over it. Fortunately vulpinewizard was kind enough to give me a pass, and this was the result
> 
> Regardless, I hope you enjoy this little addendum to LC&BD, and I’ll hopefully have the next chapter done shortly.

* * *

 

**Choices and Chance: A Lost Causes and Broken Dreams Side Story**

 

The lioness sat across the desk from the bespeckled physician with a blank look on her face. She realized that the rabbit was waiting for a reply of some kind; an acknowledgment that she had heard what he had said.

 

“Ms. Fangwell, do you understand the situation for your cub? The results from the amniocentesis show that the fetus inherited the mutant dystrophin gene.” The rabbit repeated his diagnosis from earlier, hoping to elicit some kind of a response. “Given your family's history with muscular dystrophy, the odds of him surviving to adulthood are remote.” 

 

It was the diagnosis that Molly and her husband had dreaded since discovering that she was pregnant. They thought they had been careful, and she had dutifully taken her Chill Pill to block her heat, but it hadn’t worked, and now the dreadful consequences were staring them in the face. She was pregnant, and the genetic dice had rolled the worst possible outcome. 

 

She finally blinked and looked over to the tiger seated beside her. She could see the same blank stare etched on his face, and she reached out to take his paw in her own. He started slightly at the touch, but then looked over to her, and she could clearly see the sadness in his eyes. Molly shared in her husband’s grief at the diagnosis, but steeled herself for what she knew was to come next.

 

Taking in a shuddering breath, she looked back at Dr. Talbot, and nodded her head. “We understand Doctor. Are...are there  _ any _ treatment options? I did some research before coming here, and there seemed to be some early gene therapy work that’s being done.” 

 

She knew from the losses that her family had suffered that the odds were slim. She had buried two brothers before their 18th birthdays, and knew first paw the awful decline that had preceded their deaths. The cruelness of the disease was in its ability to decay the body, but not the mind, and they had remained as sharp as ever right up until the end.

 

The buck shook his head sadly at the couple. “I’m afraid not. There  _ is _ ongoing research into this, but nothing has progressed to a point where even clinical trials are in progress, much less anything that I can recommend as a treatment option.”

 

Molly gave a sigh as the reality of the situation settled onto her shoulders. Her own panicked research when she had found out she was pregnant had come up with the almost the same information. The realization that she and Tom would need to make a difficult decision in the near future filled her thoughts.

 

_ “Can I bring a cub into this world, when they’ll have face what my brothers did?” _ She thought. The awful consequences of either choice in front of her came into focus.  _ “If I...If I end the pregnancy, and they do find a cure, will I ever forgive myself?” _

 

Dr. Talbot must have seen her expression, and his face softened. “I know that this news is hard to take, and you do need to consider if you want to terminate the pregnancy.” He paused briefly before continuing. “If you decide to carry the pregnancy to term, this isn’t a disease that will manifest for quite some time. A lot can change in a decade or more, but I can only advise on what is available now.”

 

Tom reached over and squeezed her paw, both to comfort her, but to also convey that he did understand what they were facing. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the physician. “Thank you doctor. I think we need some time to make a decision.” He said, looking back at her, and she nodded her head in silent agreement. 

 

They both knew that the discussion would not be an easy one, but as with all things in their lives, they would make it together.

 

Dr. Talbot nodded his head before standing up on his chair and leaning over to offer his paw to the two larger mammals. “I understand fully, and please take whatever time you need. Just please make sure to book a follow up appointment on your way out. I’d like to keep an eye on how you’re progressing, if that’s all right?”

 

“We will Doctor. Thank you for your time.” Molly said, as she shook the rabbit’s paw before gathering up her things and making her way out of the office, stopping off at the receptionist's desk to make an appointment in a couple of weeks. 

 

As they made their way to their car, the numbness that had struck her when Dr. Talbot had delivered the diagnosis started to ebb. Feeling continued to return as she entered the passenger side, and upon hearing the click of her seatbelt, something shattered inside of her. With a low moan, her visage crumbled as she wept into her paws. Tom said nothing as he reached out and embraced her, his own tears falling freely from his eyes. 

 

What should have been a joyous event had turned to ash for the both of them. Now they needed to decide how to move on together.

* * *

 

They made the drive home in silence, neither of them willing to risk their words opening the floodgates of grief again. When Tom finally pulled into the driveway of their old but comfortable brownstone townhouse in Sahara Square, he reached over to place a paw on her shoulder. Looking over to him, Molly forced a smile onto her muzzle as she placed her own paw over his. She could see the questions in his eyes, but she wasn’t ready for this particular conversation just yet. 

 

“I need some time, Tom.” She said quietly, and she knew that he could hear the beginnings of a growl in her voice. To say that she had a temper was an understatement, and the grief that she had felt earlier had been crystallizing into something closer to rage during the drive home. 

 

Her husband knew her all too well, and with a small chuckle, leaned over to place a small kiss on the side of her muzzle. “Just try not to hurt yourself...or the furniture, if possible.”

 

At almost any other time, she would have laughed at the comment, but this wasn’t any other time. In the present, she was seething, and as she stepped out of the car and made her way to the front door, her ears were pinned back against her skull, and a low rumble could be heard from deep within her throat. She didn’t consciously register unlocking the door, or making her way down to the basement. Once she was within the confines of her home office, the dam finally burst.

 

Fierce maternal instinct let loose with an incoherent roar as she lashed out at the closest wall; her claws leaving jagged furrows in the drywall. Nowhere near sated, she dashed over to a desk where the papers she had gathered in the vain hope of finding some answer to her prayers covered every inch of its surface. She lifted it above her head before slamming it into the ground with every ounce of force she could muster. The particle board snapped under the onslaught, and the articles which had coated its surface went fluttering around the room. 

 

Molly’s eyes tracked the erratic movements of the papers with the focus of a seasoned huntress, and her paws lashed out, snatching one of the objects of her rage in mid flight. Her claws sunk deeply into the paper, as she shredded the offending manuscripts into rough strips. Her ire becoming focused on the names so  _ proudly  _ listed on the front page.

 

“What the fuck have you done to help!” She screamed at one group of authors. “Have you helped anyone?” She knew that no answers would be forthcoming, she tossed the shredded remains aside. Dropping to her knees, she grabbed another paper from the floor, once again burning the names of the mammals who had forced this choice upon her into her memory. 

 

“Why can’t you save him!” She screamed impotently at yet another group mammals before  a swipe with her claws reduced more of the reports to ribbons.She repeated the process again and again, each time cursing the researchers, nature, and the Spirits themselves for the wrongs that had been committed to her unborn cub. 

 

She was preparing to shred yet another paper when something about the names listed made her stop. Her rage started to ebb, as it was replaced with the inklings of a pattern that she had only subconsciously registered until this moment. Putting the article aside, she scanned over the ruined scraps of the previous objects of her ire. Now she was hunting for a particular set of names.

 

“Widelhorn, Gaitwell, Falsale, Cerval, Kent?” She mumbled to herself as she spotted the names on one of the scraps, then another, and another. Previously, her focus had been solely on the content of the papers, and she had merely glaced at the mammals behind the work. Once they had become her focus however, the grouping was clear.

 

In short order she arranged the scraps into chronological order, and already her mind was picking out the pattern of researchers. Both she and Tom were analysts for the ZTC, and spotting patterns was something they were both well skilled at. It was obvious that some of the transient authors were either outside collaborators, or represented the normal churn of personnel, but the core group remained the same, as did the name of their institution.

 

“The Honeywell Genetic Counseling Centre.” She said quietly to the empty room. Looking over to the second desk that held her workstation, the final remnants of her anger dissipated, replaced by a tiny ember of hope. 

 

_ “It might be a waste of time,” _ she thought to herself as she picked herself off the floor and brought up the Centre’s webpage,  _ “but I have nothing to lose, and so much to gain.”  _ Her left paw came to rest protectively on her abdomen as she started to read.

* * *

 

After compiling as much information as she was able, Molly had called the Centre and asked to make an appointment. When she had explained the situation to the receptionist, she had been told to head down as soon as possible, and that she would be seen by a physician immediately. It was only about an hour before Molly and Tom found themselves waiting in an exam room, the staff wasting no time in beginning a battery of tests. 

 

A sheep nurse was just finishing a blood draw, and motioned for Molly to keep pressure on the cotton ball she had placed over the small wound. There was a knock on the door, and a young jaguar in a lab coat entered into the room. She had a broad grin on her muzzle as she offered a paw to Molly and Tom. 

 

“Hello, Ms. and Mr. Fangwell. I’m Doctor Catherine Willows, one of the attending physicians here at the Honeywell Centre.” She said as she reached over and retrieved a spare chair from the corner of the room to sit across from the couple. 

 

“Hello Dr. Willows. Thank you for seeing us so quickly.” Molly said, not able to completely mask the nervousness from her voice. “We were just told about our cub’s...condition this morning, and this place kept coming up in the research.”

 

Doctor Willows nodded, and made a few notes before continuing. “The diagnosis came from Dr. Talbot over at the Plainsview clinic, correct?” She asked, looking up at to two other felines.

 

Molly nodded in reply. “Yes, Doctor Pride is our usual physician there, but when we found out I was pregnant, we were referred to him.”

 

Catherine quickly jotted down a note before tearing the page out of her notebook, and handing it over to the nurse. “Nurse Woolner, would you mind contacting Doctor Talbot’s office? I want to have Ms. Fangwell’s chart here as soon as possible, and if we can, I want to know if they still have any of the amniocentesis sample.” 

 

The nurse nodded her head in reply, “I already asked Nat to contact them regarding Ms. Fangwell’s information. I’ll look into the amnio sample ASAP.” She said as she gathered up the samples and headed out of the room.

 

Looking back at the Fangwells, Catherine had a comforting smile on her muzzle. “Doctor Talbot is very good, but we’ll want to verify the diagnosis before we move forward.”

 

Molly’s ears perked up at Catherine’s words. “Move forward?” She asked, pleading for there to be  _ any _ path that could save her cub. “Is there a way to fix this?”

 

Catherine held up her paws in a supplicating motion. “I don’t want to get your hopes up, but there may be a treatment option. We have been working on an experimental gene therapy, but there are real risks that we need to consider beforehand.”

 

Molly held up both paws to her muzzle, not believing the words she had just heard. She felt a paw on her shoulder, and looked over to see Tom’s smiling face. It was only then that she allowed herself to believe, and as she reached out to embrace her mate, tears began to matt the fur under her eyes. 

 

Catherine leaned back in her seat, and allowed the couple a few moments to collect themselves.  _ “It’s a rare thing when I can give mammals good news here.” _ She mused internally. Looking at the two, she silently hoped that she was right, and that her colleagues project would work for the Fangwell’s. 

 

It was only a short while before Tom and Molly separated, Molly rubbing a paw over her eyes and laughing in relief. “Thank you!, Thank you! I didn’t think it would be possible, I mean this was such a long shot and…” She trailed off and shrugged before once again laughing at the situation.

 

“Can this really work?” Tom asked quietly, his own smile slipping slightly as he waited for the other hoof to fall. 

 

Catherine nodded both in answer but also in understanding. “I don’t want to over promise on this, but the preliminary testing has been very promising. For now, I’d like to give you a full physical, and then I’ll bring in Doctor Hawthorne, our genetics specialist for a consultation. Is that alright with both of you?”

 

“Doctor, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to save my cub.” Molly said with finality, looking over to her husband she once again reached out a paw towards him. “Tom, what do you think?”

 

Tom took a deep breath before taking her paw in his own. “I don’t want you to be hurt Molly, but I’ll be right beside you all the way.”

 

Catherine nodded before walking over to the sink to wash her paws. “Ms. Fangwell, if you would hop up on the table, I’ll get started with the exam.”

 

“Of course Doctor, but please, could you call me Molly?” She asked as she made her way to the exam table and laid back on it, as Catherine finished washing up and made her way over to her patient. 

 

Catherine laughed at the request, and as she began working her paws over Molly’s abdomen, pressing firmly here and there she nodded in reply. “Certainly Molly. Now you might feel a bit of discomfort, but let me know if you feel any sharp pains.” She said, as she went about giving Molly a thorough physical exam. 

* * *

 

It was only a short while later that Catherine left the exam room, speaking over her shoulder as she did so. “I’ll have one of the nurses take you upstairs and get you settled in.”

 

Making her way to the nurse’s station, she was pleased to see that Nurse Wollner was seated behind the desk. “Mina, do you know where Dave is?” She asked, checking the duty board to see if it could provide any clues.

 

The sheep pointed down the hall, towards the back of the Centre. “I’m pretty sure I saw him heading to the staff lounge, Dr. Willows.”   
  
Tapping the patient’s chart against the desk, Catherine smiled as she started down the hall. “Thanks! Oh, when you have a chance, could you take Ms. Fangwell upstairs?”

 

“I’m on it!” Mina called out in reply “And Ms. Fangwell’s amnio sample is being couriered over within the hour.”

 

“Make sure it gets down to the lab ASAP! Thanks Mina!” Cat called out over her shoulder as she quickly made her way to the staff lounge. Even before she reached it, her nose told her that the mammal she was looking for was indeed present...but that he wasn’t doing well. When she poked her head inside, she found the white wolf seated at one of the tables, his head buried in his paws. One of his ears twitched in her direction, but he made no other move as she approached.

 

Placing a paw on his shoulder, she gave him a little shake. “You okay, Dave? You’re looking a little rough around the edges.”

 

The wolf didn’t lift his head, and just sighed before replying. “I’ve had four D&Es today Cat; four of them.” He finally lifted up his head and looked Catherine in the eye. “I didn’t get into medicine to be some kind of ghoulish reaper.”

 

Catherine nodded in understanding, and took a seat across from the wolf. Even though she was younger, she had been practicing for the better part of three years now. Dave had been...well crazy enough to go through not one, but two residencies in addition to earning his doctorate, and the position at the Centre was his first real posting. He had only been there for a couple of months, and the realities of this place were a hard lesson for any mammal to bare.

 

She had a smile on her muzzle, as she passed over Ms. Fangwell’s chart. “Would you like a chance to make a difference then?”

 

Dave’s ears perked up at her words, and he quickly flipped through the chart. His eyes widened as he took in the details. “We need to talk to Doug, now.” Was all he said before dashing out of the room, leaving a surprised Catherine seated alone in the lounge. 

 

“Well at least that improved his mood.” She mumbled to herself as stood up and made to catch up to her colleague.

* * *

 

She could tell that Dave had wasted no time, as she could already hear his voice coming from Doug Wilson’s office. As the chief physician at the Centre, he’d need to sign off on the gene therapy...if they went ahead with it of course.

 

“Slow down Dave. What’s got you so wound up?” Doug said as Catherine entered into the office. The rabbit was looking over Ms. Fangwell’s chart, as Dave was pointing out the previous test results.

 

Dave looked up and motioned Catherine over with an eager paw. “Cat just brought this to me, Doug. It’s a textbook case of a mutation in the DMD gene, and exactly what the microDMD vector was designed to treat.”

 

Doug looked up at the two other physicians, concern etched on his face. “We received the go ahead to test it, but I thought your viral vector was optimized for canines?”

 

Dave nodded in reply, but waved his paw at the chart dismissively. “Yes, but we already have a modified feline adenovirus in the lab from the earlier cell culture work, and the protein sequence is conserved enough between  _ Canidae _ and  _ Felidae _ , that it will work on both.” 

 

“So this can really work?” Catherine asked, relieved that her instincts had been right.

 

Doug was the first to reply. “It would appear so, but the risks to the patient are significant.” The buck looked over to Dave. “You’ll have to put her on immunosuppressants to prevent her reacting to the adenovirus. Even the detyrosinated variant you proposed is highly immunogenic.”

 

“I know.” Dave said, his face serious as he considered the options. “We’ll need to make sure they know the risks, but we can use polyclonal antibody therapy to knock down her immune response, and keep it suppressed until the virus can do its work...but I’ll need to go in and treat the individual muscle groups of the fetus.” 

 

“ _ In utero _ surgery?” Catherine asked, knowing full well the extreme risks associated with any procedure of this type. “You can’t just administer the virus into the amniotic sac, or the umbilical vein?”

 

Dave shook his head, “I can do it endoscopically to minimize the risk, but the transformation efficiency is too low if we just administer the treatment intravenously. At this stage of the pregnancy, all of the tissue types are present, but the number of cells is still low, and we need to have at least half of them with the corrected gene if this is going to work.”

 

Doug shook his head, and rubbed his chin with his paw. “I’ll authorize this, but only if both of you make it clear how risky this is. The safest option is to terminate the pregnancy, and they needs to know that as well.”

 

Both Dave and Catherine’s ears pinned back at the thought, but they nodded in understanding. 

 

“I’ll make sure she knows  _ all _ her options, and the risks of each.” Catherine said finally before she gathered up her patient’s chart and motioned for Dave to follow. “Come on Dave, let’s go.”

* * *

 

After a round of introductions, the four mammals were seated around a small table in one of the conference rooms on the second floor. The room’s white board was now filled with Dave and Cat’s scribblings as they laid out the details of the treatment. 

 

“So those are the best options, Molly.” Catherine said after detailing the treatments. “I can’t overstate the risks involved, but this does offer the best outcome for your cub.”

 

Tom leaned back in his chair, and ran a paw over his eyes. “So this virus thing hasn’t been tried before? She’d be the first?” Tom asked, the apprehension and fear he felt was a tangible odor in the room.

 

Dave was the one to reply. “Yes, we’ve done a lot of testing, but Ms. Fangwell would be the first mammal that we’ve tried this on.” He paused briefly. “The risks are very real, and even if the treatment is successful, you and your cub will have an increased risk of cancer in the future, but this is the only way we have a chance of fixing this.”

 

Tom looked over at his mate and took her paw in his own. “Dear, if you want to do this, I’ll be right by your side.”

 

Molly met his gaze, and he could already see that she had made her decision. “I need to try Tom.”

 

Tom nodded, and leaned over to give his mate a kiss on the cheek. “Then we do this together.”

 

Catherine had a smile on her muzzle when she heard their decision. Rising to her feet, she motioned for the Fangwells to follow. “Then let’s get started on saving your son.” She said confidently as she led the pair down the hall towards the room that would be Molly’s home for the foreseeable future.

* * *

 

The following days were filled with nausea and pain for Molly. The immunosuppressive drugs left her feeling weak as a newborn kitten. Her room smelled perpetually of disinfectant, and every surface was seemingly covered in plastic. Throughout the entire ordeal, Doctor Willows and Tom had been by her side. 

 

She hadn’t been able to truly touch her mate since the treatments had begun. Even now, he was seated next to her bed, dressed from head to toe in a white protective suit. All she could see were his eyes, but there was a fire within them, and drew strength from it.

 

A knock from the door drew their attention as Doctor Willows made her way through the plastic draping covering the doorway. The jaguar was similarly suited in protective clothing, and she looked to the two other felines. “Are you ready Molly?”

 

“Uggh, I’ve been ready for days.” Molly said with a quiet laugh. “I just want to get this over with.”

 

Catherine nodded, and more staff entered into the room. In short order, they had placed a plastic tent over the bed and were wheeling Molly to the operating room. Waiting inside, Molly could barely make out the features of the various mammals present, all of them fully gowned and waiting for her.

 

The tent was removed, and she was quickly moved onto the operating table. She recognized Doctor Wilson at the head of the table, and the buck proceeded to remove the flimsy muzzle mask from her face, and replaced it with an anaesthetic mask. “All right Molly, this is going to go exactly like I described earlier. When I say to, start counting back from one hundred nice and slow. The gas will smell a bit odd, but just breath normally. You’re in the paws of the best doctors in Zootopia, so don’t worry about a thing.”

 

Molly could tell that the rabbit was smiling, and she nodded in reply, not trusting her voice. She was frightened, but this was something that she needed to do. For her cub, she would sacrifice anything. 

 

Nodding, Doug started the flow of the anaesthetic gas. “Okay Molly, start counting.”

 

Molly could smell the change in the air she was breathing, and started counting back as she had been instructed. “99, 98, 97” she was beginning to feel lightheaded, and struggled to keep the numbers straight in her mind. “96....95” Her eyelids grew heavy, and any further thoughts were lost when the blackness claimed her.

* * *

 

“Molly? Can you hear me honey?” She recognized Tom’s voice, but it sounded so far away. Her thoughts were muddled, and she strained to hear his voice.

 

“Give her a minute Tom. She’s still getting the anaesthetic out of her system.” Doctor Willows’ voice sounded closer, and Molly managed to push back the blackness, and cracked open her eyes. 

 

Everything was a blur, and the dim lights of the room were enough to send spikes of pain into her skull. Every muscle was sore, and even the slightest movement produced a dull ache that radiated outward. She fought back the pain, and tried to focus on the form beside her bed.

 

Tom’s eyes were the first thing that she saw, and she smiled warmly at her mate. “Did..did it work, Tom?” She asked, her voice husky, and her tongue still leaden in her mouth. 

 

“Everything went fine, my love.” Tom said warmly, his gloved paw reaching out to cup her cheek, while offering her a glass of water. “You’ve been out for almost an entire day. How are you feeling?” He asked, knowing from her expression that she was in pain.

 

‘Remember when I got T-boned back when we were in our senior year?” She asked, taking a hesitant sip of water as Tom nodded, his smile visible in his eyes. “Yeah, that was nothing compared to this.” 

 

There were chuckles from around the room, and Molly finally noticed the other mammals standing off to the side, giving her and her husband some space. Doctor Willows retrieved a syringe from her pocket and she injected the fluid into the IV hanging over the bed. 

 

“This should help with the muscle aches, Molly.” She said, and began checking over her patient. “We knew that some of the virus was going to get into your system, so it’s nothing to worry about. We’ll be taking you off the immunosuppressants, and you should have any remnants of it cleared out of your system in a few days.” 

 

Dave stepped forward and pulled a chair over so that he could sit beside the lioness. “Ms. Fangwell, the procedure went exactly according to plan. We’ve been keeping an eye on you and your cub since the operation, and so far you haven’t shown any complications.” Molly could see that the wolf was also smiling under his mask. “We won’t know until after he’s born how well the treatment worked, but we’re confident that we managed to catch it in time.”

 

Molly took in a shuddering breath, as a weight lifted from her shoulder. She reached out and grabbed hold of Doctor Willows’ paw. Squeezing it slightly, she looked between the two physicians. “Thank you! Thank you so much.” She managed to choke out before she lost her composure, and tears of relief fell from her eyes.

 

“It’s what we’re here for Molly.” Catherine returned the squeeze. “Now let’s get you patched up and back home.”

* * *

 

The days and weeks seemed to fly by for the couple. It had taken almost a month before Molly had been able to leave her room; her immune system was still in a state of flux, and no one had wanted to risk her health, so she had resigned herself to staying at the Centre for the duration of her pregnancy. It certainly had made things easier when, exactly three months from date of the procedure she had gone into labor, and Lucas Marcus Fangwell had made his entrance into the world. 

 

Molly looked over to her husband, as he rocked the swaddled infant in his arms. He was so small in the tiger’s paws, but she knew all too well that he would be growing like a weed in short order. 

 

A choking cry came from the small bundle, as the cub awoke, and Tom laughed as his son once again cried out for food. “I think he’s ready for a top off.” He said as he made his way over to her bed, and carefully passed their son over to her waiting paws. 

 

Molly shook her head, as she moved Lucas to her midsection, and he instinctively searched for her teat. “Hungry already, Lucas? You just ate an hour ago.” Looking up at her mate she smiled. “He’s a bottomless pit, and I blame you for that little inheritance.”

 

“Oh come on Moll, I get us kicked out of  _ one _ buffet in college and I’m branded for life?” He said jokingly before leaning down and kissing the top of his wife’s head before reaching out to cup her paw that was supporting their son. “Don’t mind your mother kiddo, eat up!”

 

Molly reached up with her free paw, and pulled her husband’s head down to her own, and the two spent a private moment chinning each other before a knock on the door distracted them from each other. Doctor Willows walked over the the pair, and the smile on her muzzle told the two everything that they needed to know.

 

“It worked?” Molly asked, her paw reaching up to her muzzle, as the final dregs of fear evaporated from her mind.

 

Catherine laughed and nodded. “It worked!” She said jubilantly. “Every sample showed a transformation rate of over seventy percent. Doctor Hawthorne is still testing to be sure, but yes, it worked!”

 

They were the words that Molly had prayed she would hear, and now that it was a reality, she looked down at her little miracle. There was no way that she could ever repay the mammals at the Centre. 

 

“Thank you!” Was all Molly could manage to say, and the physician smiled in reply as she reached down to stroke the cub’s cheek. 

 

“Seeing this is all the thanks I need.” The jaguar said before nodding to the two beaming parents and making her way out of the room. They were finally ready to head home, and start a new chapter in their lives.

* * *

 

**Five and a half years later**

 

“Mom, can I have a glass of water?” The question came from the bedroom doorway, and Molly looked up to see Lucas rubbing his eyes. The stripes on his face were fainter than those of his father, but they still stood out starkly against the tawny gold base coat that he had inherited from her.

 

Shaking her head, Molly rose from the couch and made her way over to her son, lifting him into the air, and carrying him to the kitchen. “Come on Lucas, it’s late, and you need your sleep.” She said as she filled a small glass and handed it over to her cub. 

 

Lucas smiled as he quickly downed the liquid, following it up with a loud belch. Molly laughed and lightly tapped his nose in reproach. “Manners young mammal!” she said as she carried him back to bed. 

 

“Sorry mom.” He said, but she could detect the insincerity in his voice and simply sighed as she placed him into bed and tucked him in for the third time that night. 

 

Bending down and giving him a rough kiss on the head before shaking a digit at him and commanding “You, sleep!”

 

The cub laughed, but turned on his side and closed his eyes. _ “It’s a start, I guess” _ Molly thought to herself as she left the room.  _ “I should get ready for bed myself.”  _

 

He thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of her phone on the living room table. Recognizing the number immediately, she punched the accept icon and raised the phone to her ear. “Hey Mark, how are you doing?” She said, noticing that it was almost eleven at night, and her curiosity was piqued. “You’re calling pretty late. I was just heading up to bed.”

 

There was a low rumble on the other end of the line as her brother’s laughed. “Yeah, sorry to call so late, but I was out with some mammals from the precinct and I met up with someone who you might remember.”

 

“Oh really, who?” She asked with no little curiosity.

 

“Remember that crazy coyote trainer I told you about a while back? Well it ends up her mate’s a doctor at the Honeywell Centre, Doctor Dave Hawthorne.” He said, and Molly’s thoughts were instantly brought back to her time at the Centre and the mammals that had done so much to help her.

 

“He was a white wolf, right?” She asked, picturing the mammal in her mind. It had been years, but she still remembered all their faces.

 

“That’s the one.” Mark said. “Once I heard where he worked, I showed him a bunch of pictures of Lucas. He really seemed to get choked up about it, and he wanted me to ask if he could show them to the other staff there.”

 

Molly paused as she remembered an email notice from the Centre not so long ago, and about a certain discussion that she and Tom had earlier that month. “Thanks for letting me know Mark, and I think I can do one better than just sending pictures.”

 

“Oh?” Came the reply from Mark, curiosity plainly evident in his voice. 

 

“We’ve been meaning to make an appointment there for a while now. This might be the perfect chance to kill two birds with one stone.” She said simply.

 

“What are you planning, Moll?” Mark asked.

 

Molly laughed in reply. “You’ll just have to wait and see. Thanks for calling Mark. Have a good night.” She moved to end the call before her brother could get another word in edgewise. 

 

_ “I think we’ll have a bit of a surprise for the Centre tomorrow.” _ She thought to herself as she made her way to her bedroom, passing by their unused third bedroom.  _ “Unused for now at least.” _

 

She had a smile on her muzzle as she went to tell Tom the news.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: For those who, after reading this, are interested in reading Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, I should point out that it isn’t a very happy tale. For the anthology, I decided to go with a happy side story, but wins like Lucas are a rare thing at the Centre. 
> 
> Normally, this would be where I provide some notes on the underlying science...but as I’ve already gone 1,000 words over the limit. I’ll have to bow out for now.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions or comments, let me know.
> 
> Eng050599


	3. What if Collaboration: Hitmammals Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> Hello everyone!
> 
> Once again, I realize I'm late getting the next chapter of Lost Causes and Broken Dreams out the door, but I wasn't idle the month. I'd like to welcome you to the What If Collaboration. This is the brainchild of Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, and represents an enormous collaboration among over 50 authors and artists in the community.
> 
> This is currently the 6th arc of the series, so I'd recommend that everyone go and read the previous chapters. The overall concept is very much summarized in the title, What If? What if you could experience a different life from your own? What if things had gone just a little differently? What is the effect of a butterfly flapping its wings in Downtown Savannah Central?
> 
> Each arc of the story represents one scenario for our favorite partners, and I hope that you enjoy the ride.
> 
> I was asked to contribute to the anthology, and wanted to try something different from the scenarios found in LC&BD, and the concept of Nick and Judy as hitmammals struck the balance between dark humor and seriousness that I enjoy digging into.

**Hitmammals Chapter 1**

**Written by Eng050599**

* * *

The following day, Nick and Judy found themselves parked across the street from Fitwick's arcade once again. The previous visits had been a revelation to the pair, and both knew that this locale would become a mainstay of their lives for the foreseeable future. They had completed their morning patrol of the downtown core, but aside from a few speeding tickets, it had been an uneventful morning.

Although both partners knew that an uneventful morning was technically a good thing, it also meant that the hours had progressed slowly, and they couldn't hide their impatience as they waited to clock out for lunch.

"Are you sure you want to do this again, Nick?" Judy asked as she unbuckled her seat belt and prepared to exit the cruiser. "You didn't seem as impressed with yesterday's trip."

Nick looked over to his partner and rolled his eyes before replying. "Carrots, yesterday was ninety nine percent you. I barely got to be a sidekick," he said as he likewise undid his seat belt and reached for the radio. "Today, I'm picking the scene, and I think we'll both enjoy it."

Clicking on the transmit button, Nick raised the pickup to his mouth. "Dispatch, this is three two seven, are you there Clawhauser?"

The cheetah's enthusiastic voice came over the speakers a few moments later, "Right here, Nick. What do you have?"

"Nothing exciting, Hopps and I are just going 10-7." Nick said in reply, formally taking the two of them out of service for lunch.

"Roger, three two seven. Enjoy!" Clawhauser said before the radio went silent.

Looking back to Judy, Nick smiled and nodded his head towards the arcade. "Shall we go and have another glance through the looking glass?" He then opened the door and hopped out of the cruiser.

Judy did likewise, and the two officers jogged across the street before entering into the arcade, just as a pair of beavers with stunned expressions on their faces were leaving.

As before, the PIXAR was set up and ready to use, with no other mammals present at this time. Nick and Judy looked to each other and they shared a knowing smile as they made their way onto the padded recliners and placed the helmets over their heads.

"So are you going to tell me what we're doing today, or is this going to be a surprise, Slick." Judy asked, feeling her body relax as the PIXAR came online.

"I thought we'd explore the darker side of things today, Fluff," Nick said as he entered in the variables for today's experience. "I already got to play the role of a killer, but I think we should both get to experience being on the other side of the law."

He finished entering the variables for the simulation and then relaxed in his chair. Just as his eyelids were getting heavy, he told his partner what he had selected.

"Today, Carrots, we're going to be hitmammals."

* * *

The rat was walking down the rodent-sized sidewalk in Tundratown, his attention predominantly focused on the phone in his paws. On the screen was the face of adult wolf, his grey muzzle fixed in a serious expression.

"You're sure that your information is good? The shipment had better be coming in when you say it is." The wolf's voice was clear through the earbuds the rat was wearing, and there was no mistaking the underlying threat conveyed in the undertone.

The rat sighed and nodded his head in reply. "The info's good, Alex. I saw the manifest on the boss' desk this morning. Just remember our deal. I walk away scott free, and no one ever finds out that the intel came from me." He stopped walking for a moment as his brows furrowed in thought. "Do you have the account set up? I'm going to need to skip town pretty quick if this goes south."

The wolf waved a paw dismissively. "It's all set up; you'll get access once the raid's happened, and we can confirm the hardware's actually there. We've even arranged for a car to pick you up and get you to the airport under an assumed name." The wolf allowed a small smile to creep onto his muzzle. "Don't worry, Jimmy, by this time tomorrow, you'll be sipping drinks on a beach far, far from Zootopia, and Mr. Big's goons."

Jimmy gave a sigh of relief and reached into his pocket to retrieve a small cigarette. He awkwardly lit it with one paw, while he continued to look at his phone. After taking his first drag, he nodded his head. "Good, just let me know when you're pickin' me up."

"I will," Alex replied. "Just keep your head down, and this will be over before you know it. The ZPD has been trying to nail Big's operations for years, and if this arms shipment pans out, you may have provided the key to bringing him down."

Jimmy, snorted in derision. "Yeah, yeah, send the medal in the mail. Just make sure the money's there when I need it," he said and disconnected the call.

Pocketing his phone, Jimmy took another pull from his cigarette, and continued on his way. His apartment was just around the corner, and once there, he could hole up until everything went down.

" _I'm taking a big risk in selling out the boss,"_ he thought to himself as he reached the next intersection, and checked to see if there was any traffic...or larger mammals to be concerned with.

Being a rodent outside of districts like Little Rodentia meant there was always the chance that you'd end up being inadvertently crushed by some inattentive mammal, but it was a necessary part of life for the majority of small mammals in Zootopia. Jobs inside Little Rodentia were few and far between, outside of the service industry, and Jimmy had bigger aspirations in mind. He had been a courier for the Big family for almost five years, and he had made a good living from it, but he had climbed as high as he was ever going to get in the organization, and he knew it.

" _It's time to light some fires, and move on to something new,"_ he thought as he dashed across the intersection. The information on the arms shipment has just been another piece of information he had been tasked with delivering, but this time, the file had been left open when he arrived. Normally, all the material he was given was in a sealed envelope, or nothing more than a micro-USB drive. He had been able to glean the important details in an instant before snapping the folder shut, and going about his usual deliveries.

What it had also sparked was the memory of a certain detective at the ZPD, who had been trying to get Jimmy to roll over on the Big family for months. He hadn't been willing to offer much in return for Jimmy's help, as the rat rarely was let in on any of the details of the Big's operations, but that had all changed when he picked up the folder.

Alex had been more than willing to sweeten the pot for something like a shipment of unregistered handguns concealed inside various children's toys; supposedly bound for Zootopia General hospital as a charitable donation to the pediatrics ward.

He had almost made it across the intersection, when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He had barely registered the presence of another mammal, when he was lifted into the air by a firm set of paws and unceremoniously tossed into the back of an eerily silent sedan, that had glided up behind him without him registering its presence. Even as he flew through the air, he twisted to look at his assailant, and the blood froze in his veins when he saw the red furred face of Nicholas Wilde, one of Mr. Big's enforcers, and quite often, the last mammal that anyone saw if they made the mistake of crossing Mr. Big.

...as Jimmy had just done.

These thoughts filled his head as he was caught by another mammal inside the vehicle, and the rat twisted his head to confirm his worse fears. As expected, the gloved paws belonged to Judy Hopps, and Jimmy knew that he had truly made his last mistake. The two partners were rarely tasked with settling petty disputes, and the rabbit gazed down at Jimmy with a cold detachment in her eyes. He recognized the look, and it made him shudder involuntarily. _'Mercy',_ wasn't in the vocabulary of Ms. Hopps after all.

She maintained the firm grip on Jimmy until Nick hopped back into the car, and took a seat beside her. Only then did she release the rat, seating him firmly between the two.

Jimmy, glanced between the two of them, his mind trying to find some way to escape from this predicament. The two enforcers were wearing identical black suits, and neither one of them said a word as the car started moving.

"L...Look I can explain everything," Jimmy began impotently, but his jaws clacked shut when Nick's eyes locked onto his own.

Nick said nothing initially, and merely reached over and removed Jimmy's smartphone from his pocket before reaching beside the seat, and revealing what Jimmy recognized as a signal blocking bag, which his phone was quickly deposited into.

Once that was done, Nick spoke directly to the rat. "Oh really, Jimmy?" The fox asked, the sarcasm rolling off of his tongue like silk. "You have a good excuse for betraying your employer, and trying to sell him out to the ZPD? That has to be a good story, and I'd just love to hear it."

"I didn't do it! I swear it on my mother's grave," Jimmy stammered, the fact that the enforcers knew about him dealing with the ZDP was an impossibility. He had only reached out to them this morning, and he had been careful to use a burner phone, as well as only make calls when he was away from any of Mr. Big's operations.

His thoughts were brought back to the moment when the artificial sounds of a rewinding tape came from his right. Looking over he saw Judy holding a carrot-shaped pen in her paw. When she released the button, he recognized his own voice projected through the tiny speakers. "...I saw the manifest on the boss' desk this morning. Just remember our deal. I walk away scott free, and no one ever finds out that the intel came from me."

Judy clicked her tongue at the rat. "What would your mother say about you being a liar, Jimmy?" She leaned back into her seat, and looked over at the rat. "The file was a test, and you failed, Jimmy. There's not going to be any guns, and the ZPD is going to have yet another embarrassing failure on their paws...all thanks to you."

Jimmy didn't have a chance to reply before he felt something press against the side of his neck, followed by a hiss and stinging sensation. His paw flew up to the wound, as he looked over to see Nick holding up some kind of autoinjector. Jimmy's eyes widened in shock as he realized that his life could probably be measured in seconds now.

He pulled his paw back into view, but saw no blood. "What did you do?" He asked, fear radiating from his words.

Nick's smile was anything but kind as he placed the injector off to the side. "You seemed a bit down, Jimmy, so I decided to lighten things up for you by giving you some extra air."

The rat shook his head, not understanding the implications, but inside of him, the tiny bubbles of air Nick had introduced into his bloodstream were even now blocking off arteries, veins, and capillaries all over Jimmy's body. He was still processing the information when the right side of his face sagged. He started to slump over, only to be held up by Judy.

"Uh oh, Jimmy," Judy said theatrically. "All those years of smoking seem to have caught up with you. I think you're having a stroke." The doe reached out to check the rat's pulse, a cruel smile plastered on her face.

Jimmy tried to speak, but his tongue was leaden in his mouth, only an unintelligible moan escaped his muzzle.

Nick brought up his paw, and patted the rat on the back. "Now don't you worry, Jimbo. Your death means all your debts are paid. Mr. Big will look out for your family, and your sins will not taint them."

Jimmy was about to reply, when a crushing, burning sensation wrapped around his chest like a vice, and he gasped in pain.

"Your night just keeps getting worse, Jimmy," Judy said, noting the rodent's distress. "I think you're having a heart attack."

The two hitmammals might have said more, but Jimmy could no longer hear it. His vision was fading to blackness, and the sensation of the car coming to a stop was the last thing his mind registered before plunging into oblivion.

* * *

 

Nick and Judy made a quick vehicle transfer to another unremarkable sedan, waving their driver off, and taking control of the new vehicle under their own paws. They returned to the intersection where they had first picked up poor Jimmy. Knowing that this precise location was just outside of any surveillance cameras made it a perfect spot for a snatch and grab, but also made it ideal for a body dump...at least for a body that you wanted found, anyways.

Being careful to keep the car in the ruts worn in the snow by the other cars, they briefly came to a halt at the empty intersection before carefully lowering Jimmy's body onto the very same crosswalk that he had been taking, after returning his phone and ensuring that there were no telltale bits of fur to give away their presence. To all appearances, he had simply collapsed on his way home, and no one would be the wiser. His body would freeze in short order, and the tissue damage from that would mask any trace of foul play.

Jimmy had never been one to live a healthy lifestyle, and the drugs that had been planted in his apartment would only reinforce the thought that he had simply died due to a stroke and or cardiac arrest. Both mammals could already see the coroner's report in their minds.

" **Cause of Death: TIA and Myocardial Infarction"**

As they drove away, Judy dialed a number from memory using the touch-pad on the main console. It was picked up on the second ring, and a quiet yet gravelly voice could be heard on the other end.

"Has the message been delivered, my child?" Mr. Big asked, not one to waste time when dealing with these matters.

"It has, sir. There were no complications, and the bait was taken without any issue." Glancing to the clock on the dash as she drove, she continued. "I think the package will be noticed in about two to three hours, but word of it won't interfere with the second delivery."

"Very good. The two of you have my gratitude yet again," the shrew said, and there was an odd kindness to his old voice. "I have another favor to ask of you two, if I may?"

"Of course sir, whatever you need," Nick replied without hesitation. He had been a part of Mr. Big's operation since he was sixteen, and had been the one to recruit Judy into the family when her skills had been overlooked by the ZPD. Nick had noticed the droopy eared doe at a coffee shop in Sahara Square, nursing a not even touched carrot smoothie, and their relationship began there. It wasn't long before Judy joined her friend, then soon after boyfriend, in Mr Big's service. Both mammals owed everything they had to the shrew, and would have given him their lives if he had asked...which fortunately, he never had.

"I'd like you to be there when the second package is delivered," Mr. Big said, and there was no hiding the amusement in his voice.

"Really, sir?" Judy asked, her curiosity plainly evident in her expression. "Wouldn't Nick and I's presence create more suspicion on the part of the ZPD?"

There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the line before Mr. Big answered. "Not at all, my child. You see, this delivery is for a very new charity, the Wilde-Hopps Children's Benefit Fund, of which you two are the founding members."

Nick and Judy shared a look between the two of them. "Ummm, sir," Nick began, "Is it a good idea to have our names so prominently associated with this?" In reality both he and Judy were significant patrons to quite a number of charities in Zootopia, but they prefered to keep their contributions quiet...given their actual occupations. They may have worked for the mob, but they weren't heartless, and Judy had never truly given up her goal of making the world a better place. It just, _morphed_ , a bit.

"In this case, it's very much important to my plans, Nicholas," Mr. Big said confidently. "By having you attached to the charity, it makes the presence of two rather tiresome officers almost a certainty."

Understanding flashed across both mammals faces, and smiles began to spread across their muzzles. "I take it you mean that your second favorite rabbit and fox couple will be taking part in the delivery, sir?" Nick said, not even trying to hide his amusement at the thought of once again humiliating the pair.

"I do, Nicholas, and I would very much like for you to be there to greet them," Mr. Big said. "Be sure to call me once the delivery is complete, and be safe."

"Of course sir, have a good night," Judy said before disconnecting the call. Looking over to Nick she shrugged at the new task before them. "Well, I guess we'll grab some coffee and then help bagging the toys until the guests of honor arrive."

Nick chuckled at the thought of two hitmammals preparing gifts for sick kits, but nodded his head. "Sounds good, partner. We've got three hours before the raid is scheduled to happen."

"Good, and you're paying, Slick," Judy said as she turned into the parking lot of a local diner.

Nick gave a bark of laughter at the comment. "Carrots, we have a joint account. It all comes from the same place."

"It's the principle of the thing, Nick," Judy said, batting her eyes at her partner. "You need to treat your girl to something special every now and then you know?"

"Do I know that?" Nick asked, placing a paw over his chest before leaning over and cupping Judy's cheek. "Why yes, yes I do."

The two moved together, sharing a quick kiss before exiting the car and making their way into the diner.

* * *

"Okay mammals, SHUT IT!" The commanding voice came from the front of the bullpen, and the mammals quickly quieted down and took their seats. The cape buffalo at the podium had an ever-present scowl on his muzzle as he looked over his officers. They were all good mammals, but this case had been a fiasco from day one, and now they had finally gotten a break that could crack the case wide open. They couldn't waste this opportunity with locker room banter.

"Early today, Detective Wolfowitz received a tip about an arms shipment moving through one of Mr. Big's warehouses." He pointed to the board behind him where the known member of the Big crime syndicate were pictured. The arctic shrew was at the top of the pyramid, with the less notorious members all interconnected with pieces of string. It was a labyrinthine maze that the ZPD had been trying to untangle for years without success.

"The shipment is coming in on three tractor trailers that, according to the manifests, contain childrens toys for the…" he paused briefly as he double checked the name of the organization before poignantly looking towards the rabbit and arctic fox officers sharing a seat in the front row. "...Wilde-Hopps Children's Benefit Fund."

Jack and Skye's eyes widened at the pronouncement, and the reason for their presence in this raid was now clear.

"I've given you two almost six months to bring down those two killers, and you've found nothing!" Bogo stated angrily, motioning to another board covered with the images of mammals that the two were suspected of assassinating. "If we can't pin the murders on them, maybe you two screwups can at least make trafficking weapons stick. You're to move in with the T.U.S.K. squad, secure the shipments, and collar those two, or I'll have both your shields."

"Yes, Sir!" both mammals said simultaneously. They had been outmaneuvered by the hitmammals at every step of their investigations, but this was an internal leak from Mr. Big's operation, and it could very well prove to be their undoing.

Bogo nodded, but continued to glare at the two for a moment before shifting his gaze to one of the rhinos in the room.

"McHorn! Go over the assault plan," he said, and yielded the podium to the larger mammal.

McHorn turned on the projector, and a schematic of the warehouse appeared on the screen. "The building is a standard industrial warehouse in Tundratown's dock district. There are a total of eight entry points, so we'll have teams Alpha through Hotel split into fivemammal squads and…"

* * *

 

The plan quickly came together, and within the hour a team of close to sixty mammals was en route to the warehouse in a convoy of ZPD Light Attack Vehicles. The search warrant had been obtained, and they would be making a breach entry from all sides. Leading the way with flashbangs and ultrasonic screamers. Both Jack and Skye had managed to find tactical uniforms, but were visibly uncomfortable with the amount of gear they were carrying.

There were no small mammals in T.U.S.K., and although this didn't appear likely to change in the near future, the ZPD had at least made some effort to prepare for their arrival by acquiring appropriately sized gear.

The rabbit and fox were both armed with a semi-automatic tranq rifle clipped to their chests, and loaded with medium-dose darts. Their armored vests also contained multiple pouches, keeping the magazines of heavy and light dose darts at the ready, as well as a variable charge taser holstered at their hips. They, along with the other mammals with keen hearing were also wearing ear protection under their helmets, knowing full well that their entrance would be loud in the extreme.

As soon as the vehicles came to a halt, the rear hatch opened, and the squad hustled out into the cold air. The sun was just setting, but they still had enough daylight to work with. The climate control systems had been altered to cease the nearly constant snowfall in the district for the raid, and the final flakes were settling onto the ground. They converged around each of the entrances, noticing that even the loading dock doors were closed.

Each squad had a large mammal holding a mobile ram, and that officer took position in front of each of the doors, the remaining member of the squad lining up against the wall by the door.

"Alpha, in position," McHorn called out over the radio, and the other squads signalled their readiness in order.

"Bravo, in position."

"Charlie, ready to rock!"

"Delta, in position."

"Echo, in position. One mammal visible through the window, but our position isn't compromised yet." Came Wolford's voice over the comms.

"Foxtrot, good to go!"

"Golf, in position."

"Hotel, in position."

Bogo's voice came over the radio once the final squad had checked in. "This is command. Breach! Breach! Breach!"

McHorn swung the ram back and brought it forward with every ounce of force he could muster. The reinforced door crumpled at the impact and was violently wrenched off of its hinges, the door itself flying several meters into the warehouse. Officer Snarlov, the first mammal in line, quickly pulled the pins on the flashbang and ultrasound grenades before tossing them into through the now gaping doorway.

"Fire in the hole!" the white wolf cried out, while similar yells could be heard from around the building.

With a staccato series of bangs, the flashbangs went off in quick succession, but the ZPD officers were shielded from the effects by the walls of the building. The ultrasonic screamers had just started going off, each one emitting a deafening shriek that would stun many keen-eared species.

Knowing the effects wouldn't last long, the ZPD quickly moved into the building. Jack and Skye coming in right after Wolford, taking up a diamond formation with McHorn bringing up the rear. Jack scanned to the left, and took note of several mammals stumbling through the residual smoke.

"Tango left" he called out over the radio, and he fixed his rifle on the targets. "ZPD! EVERYONE ON THE GROUND, NOW!" he yelled into the chaos, his cries echoed by the other officers.

Surprisingly the various mammals all complied once the effects of the grenades had receded, and they had a chance to process the situation. The ZPD, moved in from all sides, only pausing to bind the various mammal's arms with zipcuffs. It was at the center of the warehouse, that Jack and Skye found their prey, and both mammals smiled when they saw Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps on their knees, paws behind their heads, under the watchful gaze of Detective Wolfowitz.

The wolf had already relieved the pair of their IDs and was idly flipping through their contents. He looked up at the approach of the fox and rabbit officers, and he made a sweeping motion with his paws.

"Here you are, officers," he said, pointing to the pair of assassins. "I figured you'd want to be the ones to cuff these two."

"Oh, this has been a loooong time coming," Jack said as he released his rifle, letting it dangle from his combat harness. The buck went so far as to theatrically crack his knuckles as he made his way over to the two hitmammals.

Judy looked up as he approached. "Awww, Jackie Boy, it's been too long. Are you still holding a flame for me sweetheart?"

Jack laughed at the comment, and moved behind the other rabbit, quickly zipcuffing both paws behind her back."You wish, Hopps. You two finally screwed up, and seeing the two of you go down is going to be sweet." He looked over to see that Skye was similarly engaged with Nick Wilde, and the pair shared a glance at their successful collar.

Sky took that moment to speak up. "Nicholas Wilde, Judith Hopps, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. You have…" the vixen's words were cut off, as Nick cleared his throat.

"On what charge are you arresting us, Officer?" he asked innocently, the familiar smirk quickly spreading across his muzzle.

"Arms smuggling, wise ass," Jack said, walking over and roughly cuffing the fox on the side of the head.

"Hey there, police brutality!" Judy called out, and Jack rolled his eyes at the doe in response. "And we have no idea what you're talking about, Officer. This is a children's charity that my mate and I set up. There's nothing here but toys...that you monsters are destroying!" she added, noticing that the ZPD had started emptying the container trucks, and were busily opening the various crates, and tearing apart the stuffed toys inside.

"What do you think you're doing!" Nick cried out, and Jack was surprised to hear real shock in the fox's voice. "Those toys are for the kits at Zootopia General!" Nick looked back over his shoulder, and called out to another mammal. "Are you seeing this Fabienne?"

A sense of dread came over Jack and Skye at the name, and they both turned to look in the same direction as their prisoner. The sight of a very familiar snow leopard, and what was probably her filming crew seated on the floor with their paws zipcuffed behind their backs sent a chill down both mammal's spines.

"Oh, crap," was all Skye said, as the implications came crashing down around her. Quickly reaching for her radio she keyed in the private command frequency. "Chief Bogo, you need to get in here ASAP, sir."

There was a loud snort over the comms as the chief replied. "Winters, what are you going on about? The building's been sealed off, and no one managed to escape. Did you apprehend Hopps and Wilde?"

"Yes sir, we did, but there's a situation," she said calmly. "It would appear that there was a ZNN crew filming when we breached the property, and both Hopps and Wilde are quite adamant that there are no firearms in the building."

The chief clued into the situation instantly. "It was a set up. Damn their hides!" The radio cut off for a moment, and Skye saw several of the squad leaders suddenly clutch their earpieces in pain. Both Jack and Skye could see both confusion and anger cloud the faces of their superiors, but they quickly moved and began gathering the detainees in the center of the warehouse. Unless Skye was mistaken, they would be letting all of them go rather shortly.

* * *

 

Bogo was quick to take in the scene when he entered. A single glance at the officers going through the piles of toys told him that they had been well and truly played. He could feel the vein in his temple throbbing with each beat of his heart at the realization that, once again Mr. Big's goons had played the ZPD for chumps, and that this would be a PR nightmare once the ZNN segment aired.

" _The mayor is going to be right up my tail on this one,"_ he thought, the realization causing another spike in his blood pressure.

He first sought out McHorn, who was in the process of questioning Ms. Growley and her crew.

"So you were invited here to interview Mr. Wilde and Ms. Hopps about their new charity?" the rino asked, as he continuously scribbled in his notebook.

"Yes that's right. We were just wrapping up the interview where you all barged in." The snow leopard gave her head a sharp shake. "My ears are still ringing from the hell that you put us through. What were you thinking?"

Bogo took that as an excuse to barge into the conversation. "Ms. Growley, we had solid intelligence that this warehouse was involved in criminal activity. I'm sorry that you were involved in a police matter, but this is still an ongoing investigation. I'm afraid that I'll be needing to seize the recordings of the interview as evidence until we can clear up this unfortunate event."

Fabienne cocked her head in confusion. "What recordings? The interview was airing live."

* * *

 

A short distance away, Skye overheard the reporter's comments and she once again groaned at just how sideways this entire operation had gone.

Not only had they failed to obtain any evidence against the two assassins kneeling in front of her, but the ZPD had on camera raided a children's charity, and in front of said news crew, proceeded to destroy a shipment of toys destined for sick kits.

The only thing that they had accomplished was to make saints out of the two enforcers, and looking down at them, Skye caught Nick's eye. The red todd had a smirk on his muzzle when he spoke, and it was a phrase that he had used against the vixen many times over the past few months.

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hello everyone, this is eng050599 and I hope you've enjoyed this contribution to the What If collaborative effort. Hitmammals was quite different from my usual work on Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, but it was nice to switch things up...and actually make use of Nick and Judy as opposed to the OCs that I'm used to.
> 
> Now as the readers of my other stories probably know, I'm a scientist IRL, and I like to try and explain some of the underlying science that gets used in anything I write, and although there nowhere near as much of it as in Lost Causes, there's still more than enough for a bit of an abbreviated Science Time!
> 
> Embolisms: The fear of SCUBA divers everywhere, an embolism is the blockage of a blood vessel by anything ranging from a blood clot to an air bubble. In this chapter an air embolism was used to kill poor Jimmy, but they are also a risk factor during surgery, or when diving. The air bubble becomes lodged in the vessel and cuts off circulation for anything further along. If this happens in the brain, or heart, the tissue becomes started for oxygen and starts dying. The effect of this can be as described in the story, a stroke or a heart attack.
> 
> Freezing Tissue: When tissue freezes slowly, as would be the case for Jimmy's body, ice crystals form throughout the corpse. These cause cells to lyse (break open), damage organs, and basically destroy or mask much of the physical evidence for an attack of this kind. Normally, freezing a body takes hours in the outside environment, but a rat is much smaller than a human, and in an environment like Tundratown, would probably freeze within a hour.
> 
> That should draw things to a close for this chapter. I'd like to thank Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps for letting me take part in this gigantic project, and also for editing the chapters.
> 
> For those of you who are interested in looking at my main story, Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, I'll just include the usual disclaimer; it's not a happy story. In fact, it's downright heartrending at times. It's a medical drama centered around a medical clinic that specializes in interspecies couples and the hybrids that can sometime develop. Genetics isn't kind however, and all too often tragedy is all that these couples can look forward to.
> 
> It's available on FanFiction and Archive of Our Own under the same username, eng050599.
> 
> Also, if anyone ever has questions relating to science, feel free to message me directly. I can't promise to be able to answer every question, but I will at least try.


	4. What If Collaboration: Hitmammals 2

**Hitmammals: Chapter 2: Gathering Intel**

**Written by eng050599**

* * *

Jack and Skye sat nervously in the chief's office as the cape buffalo fumed at the television mounted on the wall. As expected, the coverage of the raid earlier in the day had not been kind, and the fallout was already being felt by the ZPD. In the brief time that the officers had been 'debriefing' with Chief Bogo, there had been no fewer than three phone calls from the mayor, the commissioner, and ZNN. The two former calls, Bogo had handled with his usual gruff demeanor, the latter however had been coldly rebuffed, with little more than a "No comment, as this is an ongoing investigation."

The answer had obviously not been enough for the news agency, as the first report was airing while the three mammals watched.

"Our top story today is the questionable actions of the ZPD during a raid on a children's charity in Tundratown." The words of Peter Moosebridge were measured and professional, but everyone could hear the underlying anger. "Our own Fabienne Growley suffered minor injuries during the assault, while she was interviewing the founders of the Wilde-Hopps Children's Benefit Charity, Nicholas Wilde, and Judith Hopps."

The image on screen switched to one that was obviously at the end of the interview. Wilde and Hopps were seated against a backdrop of stuffed animals, with the snow leopard anchor seated across from them.

"…and we just wanted to give something back to the community for all that they've done for us." The rabbit's voice could clearly be heard over the background noise of the warehouse. The doe reached out to grasp the paw of her mate before continuing. "We both try to make the world a better place, and if we can do anything to make things easier for the kits at Zootopia General, we're going to try."

Nick leaned forward, nodding his head in agreement. "We're starting off relatively small, focusing on kits who are undergoing medical treatment, but we hope to build this into something that can support after school clubs, and eventually even scholarship…"

The todd's words were cut off by a series of crashes as the ZPD began their assault. Fabienne's head whipped around towards the closest sound, and a look of shock was plainly evident on her face.

"What the hell?" Was all the snow leopard was able to say before the concussive blasts and blinding light of the flashbangs cut off any further words. The camera jolted sharply and fell to the floor, as static momentarily flickered across the display. When it cleared, Nick, Judy, and Fabienne could be seen staggering about, all three unsteady on their paws, and clasping paws over their ears. One of the film crew had just entered into the frame, the wolf also clutching his ears in pain, before collapsing to his knees.

The ultrasonic shriekers operated at a frequency that was outside the range of normal audio pickups, but the effects were plainly evident to the audience. Ms. Growley collapsed onto her side just as the voices of the ZPD officers could be heard in the background.

"ZPD! EVERYONE ON THE GROUND, NOW!"

The video cut off as a squad of T.U.S.K. officers entered into frame, their rifles trained on the now kneeling forms of Nick and Judy.

The screen changed and once again Peter Moosebridge occupied the screen, his expression still serious. "ZPD officials have declined to comment on the operation, and we now go to our own Fabienne Growley, who has remained at the scene while members of the Wilde-Hopps Children's Benefit assess the damages. Fabienne."

The camera cut to an exterior view of the warehouse. The snow leopard was standing in front of an open loading dock, which was crisscrossed with police tape. Through the opening a large pile of shredded stuffed animals was plainly visible, and Nick and Judy could be seen staring towards the destroyed toys, the fox even going so far as to wipe an apparent tear from his eye, as Judy reached out to touch her mate's arm in support.

"Oh come on!" Jack said angrily, motioning towards the onscreen pair. "What idiot is going to believe this crap?"

"SHUT IT, SAVAGE!" Bogo bellowed before reaching into his desk and retrieving a bottle of aspirin, he quickly tossed back a hoofful of the pills while his attention remained on the news report.

"Thank you, Peter. I'm here with Nicholas Wilde and Judith Hopps, the founders of the Wilde-Hopps Children's Benefit Charity. Earlier today we were subjected to a violent raid at the paws of the ZPD, who severely damaged the toys meant for the pediatrics ward at Zootopia General during the operation. Miss Hopps, how will this affect your charity?" Fabienne turned and pointed her microphone towards the rabbit.

Judy turned, and motioned towards the destroyed toys with her paws. "I don't know, Fabienne. I'm pretty sure that the entire shipment was destroyed by the ZPD. Where they got the idea that this was an arms shipment, I have no idea, but we won't be able to do much until we have a chance to fundraise." The doe looked back into the warehouse, and sighed sadly. "We'll probably replace some of the toys on our own so that we can at least offer them to a few kits at Zootopia General. As for the rest of the kits..." Judy trailed off as her ears fell behind her head.

"And we will be speaking with our attorney, Ms. Growley. Make no mistake about that," Nick chimed in, anger at the forefront of his voice.

Fabienne motioned towards the warehouse. "An arms shipment? The ZPD has refused to comment on the case. Are you sure that was the reason for the raid?"

Nick nodded his head in reply. "Officer Savage mentioned it when he told us we were under arrest." The fox reached out, and wrapped an arm around his mate. "Whatever their reasons, the ZPD made a big mistake today, and it's the kits who are suffering the most as a result. The charity will move on, but our trust in the ZPD will never be the same. They're tasked with protecting the mammals of Zootopia, not terrorizing its citizens."

"Well said, Mr. Wilde," Fabeinne said turning back to face the camera. "This has truly been a disturbing development for the city, and ZNN will be covering the story as it develops. This has been Fabeinne Growley, back to you, Peter."

Bogo gave a snort of anger and turned off the TV before rubbing a hoof over his face. "This is an absolute nightmare." He muttered to himself, before directing his attention at the two other mammals in the room, his tone changing to one of feigned kindness. "Now, I know that neither of you could have predicted this _unfortunate_ event..." The buffalo suddenly slammed his hoof on to his desk, causing the files on its surface to scatter around the room. Jack and Skye jumped in their seats as Bogo's expression twisted into a familiar scowl and he loomed over his desk at them.

"I DON'T CARE HOW YOU TWO DO IT, BUT I WANT THOSE ASSASSINS OFF THE STREETS!" Bogo hollered at the pair before returning to his seat. "Find something, _anything_ so that you can collar them. There is _no_ chance that mammals like them can keep their paws completely clean. Everyone makes mistakes, you two screw-ups just need to follow them until they make one!"

Skye looked at her boss plaintively. "But Sir, we _have_ been following them for six months. They haven't so much as garnered a speeding ticket." She looked over to her partner who had an equally frustrated expression on his face. "We haven't even been able to determine how exactly they even _get_ to their targets."

Jack shook his head. "We know that they generally live in the Royal Casino in Tundratown, in addition to having a home in the Rainforest District, and we've had surveillance on every entrance and exit for weeks. We've spotted them coming and going all the time, but they've _always_ apparently been somewhere else when they're supposed to have been murdering some poor mammal."

Bogo shook his head. "I don't care. Tail them until you find something to nail their pelts to the wall with, and I don't want any excuses about them slipping through your paws. They made fools of us today, and it will _not_ happen again on my watch."

With that pronouncement he pointed towards the door. "You said that the two of them spend most of their time in the casino? Get your tails over there in plain clothes and start digging."

"Yes, Sir!" Both Jack and Skye called out as they jumped from their seats and scurried out of the room.

* * *

"Well what do we do now?" Jack asked, once the two had made it to their shared cubicle. "Infiltrating a casino with no plan, no resources, and no idea where our targets are going to be? Do ya think the Chief's trying to make us fail, hon?" the rabbit asked, allowing some of the affection he felt for his mate to filter through his words. The two of them avoided any overt displays of affection while on duty, but they were partners both in and out of uniform, and Jack could tell that the day's events were gnawing away at Skye.

The arctic fox sighed heavily and cradled her head in her paws as she slumped against her desk. Jack hopped up onto a neighboring chair and reached out to rub her back. Skye initially stiffened at his touch, but then relaxed and leaned towards her mate, who quickly wrapped her in a warm embrace.

She sighed contentedly, but quickly motioned for Jack to let her go. "Thanks, Jack, but we need to figure out how to catch those two."

"Catching them isn't the issue; it's keeping them in custody," Jack said with no little resignation. "Unless we can actually pin a crime on them, we're just going to end up letting them walk…again."

"Well then, I guess we better get looking," Skye replied, reaching over to grab her jacket from the wall. "The chief's right that they can't be perfect. We just need to follow them until they finally slip up." The vixen moved to leave the cubicle, but looked back towards her mate. "Go and get changed into civvies, we have a ZPD-sponsored date night at the casino after all."

A grin spread across Jack's muzzle at Skye's words, and the buck gave a short bark of laughter as he made to follow his mate to the locker rooms. "Bogo's going to have our pelts if he gets wind of this."

Skye spoke over her shoulder as she walked. "Well then, we just need to make sure he doesn't find out."

* * *

The officers had commandeered an unmarked vehicle from the motor pool, and had quickly made their way over to Tundratown, after first doing what they could to alter their appearance. A quick temporary fur dye had dulled Skye's white coat to a striking silver-grey, while Jack had merely applied enough dye to mask his telltale stripes. Combined with their normal clothes, they were almost new mammals…except for the whole, rabbit-fox-couple thing. They would still stick out, but less so if they just acted as friends out for a night on the town.

The Royal Casino was one of the newest gambling establishments in the city, and the rumors of the mob's involvement in its management was very much an open secret on the streets. Casinos as a whole were an ideal way of laundering illicit funds. No questions were asked when a mammal walked through the gilded doors with a suitcase full of cash, and when those same mammals left with significantly lighter luggage, the mob had merely made a balance transfer of sorts. What was once the illegal gains from any number of criminal activities, was now dutifully reported income for the casino.

…they even paid their taxes on time.

Jack and Skye had only a limited set of intel about Wilde and Hopps on the premises. The pair had a suite on the 21st floor, and could often be found lounging in one of the many bars and restaurants located in the casino proper.

As Skye pulled the sedan into the valet parking, she looked over to Jack. "My money's on them being at the sushi bar," she said confidently. "What sources I've been able to verify seem to indicate that they frequent there quite a bit."

"Hopps eats sushi?" Jack said, the disgust tangible in his tone. He gave a shudder at the thought of consuming the flesh of _any_ other animal, even a fish. "She really is a degenerate."

Skye gave a small chuckle at her mate's distress. "Don't knock it until you've tried it, and they do have vegetarian options. We will need to order something or we'll look out of place. I'll find something safe for you, but you're missing out on something wonderful." The vixen dramatically licked her chops, as she brought the car to a stop. "Fatty tuna is a true delicacy."

"I'll pass, thanks," Jack said as one of the attendants opened his and Skye's door, and both mammals stepped out in the garishly lit entrance way. It was an assault of colors and lights, and Skye needed to shield her sensitive eyes from the glare for a moment before she could fully take in the sight.

The awning leading to the main entrance was a single huge display, showing a chaotic waterfall of chips, money, cards, and dice. Jack took a moment to scan his surroundings. He could see the general design of the entrance was to funnel mammals quickly onto the gaming floor. Everything from the flow of the lights to the pattern of the carpeting was subtly designed to direct the eyes and feet of the casino's patrons. Merging with the steady stream of mammals arriving for the evening, they were quickly surrounded by the bells and digital cacophony of the casino floor.

Skye looked down at her partner, and she motioned towards the bank of elevators. "Come on, the sushi bar's up one level."

The pair entered into an elevator with a Zebra couple. The two equines were practically bubbling as the elevator.

"Can you believe it? We're up five thousand bucks!" the stallion said to his female companion, who was awkwardly trying to maintain a grip on a rather sizable bucket of chips. The container was not a hoof friendly one however, and the mare couldn't help but spill some of the chips in her excitement.

"I know, the counter just went up and up when I hit the jackpot!" The mare replied, not bothering to retrieve the chips.

Skye looked over at the pair, and then to the chips on the ground. Bending down she retrieved them and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Miss? I think you dropped these." Offering them back to the mare.

Both zebras looked down at the pair with a slightly surprised expression. Apparently they had been so caught up in their celebrations, they hadn't noticed the smaller mammals. The mare gave Skye a suspicious glance, and Skye felt her ears redden. It was an expression she had grown used to over the years. Even with all their progress, foxes were still met with distrust and suspicion, and she could already picture the mare's thoughts in her mind.

" _Is she trying to scam me?"_

" _Did she steal them and will only give back some so she looks innocent."_

Fortunately, the mare's motions caused another chip to fall from the bucket, and Jack rolled his eyes as he picked it up and added it to the small pile in Skye's paw.

The stallion cleared his throat and waved a hoof at the pair. "Thank you," he said simply, and his mate lowered the bucket so that Skye could return the chips to the pile.

"I might be able to help you with this," Skye added as she motioned to take the handle of the bucket.

The mare once again eyed her warily, but nodded her head. Skye took the not inconsiderable weight of the jackpot in hand and lowered it to the floor of the elevator which had finally started moving. Retrieving her multi tool from her pocket, she quickly bent the rather flimsy metal handle into a more oblong shape.

Standing back up, the fox lifted the bucket and motioned with her head towards the mare's hoof. "Just stick your hoof through this, and hold it like a purse," she said, smiling.

The zebra did as was instructed, and the reshaped handle fit snugly just behind her hoof. The mare examined the alteration momentarily, and then looked towards the vixen with genuine gratitude on her face.

"Thank you for that," she stated simply. "You didn't need to help out."

"But I did anyways," Skye said with a twinkle in her eyes. As the chime sounded and the elevator door opened, she made to leave with her partner. "Not all foxes are shifty, after all." She added with a knowing wink, and the two zebras shifted uncomfortably as the doors began to close.

"Now that was just cruel, my dear," Jack said as the pair made their way to the bar, the rising sun emblem prominently displayed over the richly lacquered door frames.

"What? I'm always helpful," she said, and then leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "It comes with the badge, you know."

Jack chuckled at the comment. "Now no more of that. We might not be officially undercover, but we don't want to broadcast our professions here."

The restaurant was dimly lit, but Skye's keen eyes were already scanning the interior for the two assassins. It seemed as though both Karma and Serendipity were favoring them tonight, as she caught a glimpse of a pair of black tipped, grey lapine ears protruding from a booth towards the back of the main dining room.

Motioning with her paw, she directed Jack's attention, both to the pair of hitmammals, but also to the empty adjoining booth. Nodding the pair quietly made their way to the empty booth, relying on their small stature to keep them concealed behind the high booth walls.

They were so tall in fact that, as far as Skye could figure, the only way that Ms. Hopps' ears should be would be if she was standing on the booth seat. Knowing the two were mates, she was probably either giving or receiving a morsel of food. The fox shook her head at the thought, it was a common enough behavior for mates to take part of, and even she and Jack had performed the act.

" _Seeing two professional killers share such a tender moment just seems so wrong,"_ she thought to herself as she settled into the booth. Jack taking the side closest to the hitmammals, his long ears cocked to hear any conversation between the two.

Skye's own ears were similarly primed, but she was also on the lookout for the waiter, so as to free up Jack to do the real heavy lifting…well, listening, as it were.

Noticing the female red fox waitress heading their way...or rather the Hokkaido fox from her coloration and style of dress, Skye put on her best smile as the other female came a placed menus in front of her and jack.

"Irasshaimase!" she intoned jovially. "Ikaga nasaimashita ka? How may I help you?"

Skye made an effort to pitch her voice slightly higher than she normally did, and also reverted back to her native northern twang of an accent. It wasn't all that much different from the normal inflection used by the mammals of Zootopia, but she hoped that the slight alteration in the emphasis of the vowels would hide her identity from the hitmammals were they to overhear.

"Hi! We'll just start with some Genmai-cha, and we'll need a tad with the menu to decide what to have," she said good naturedly. "It's my friends first time having sushi."

Her eyes shifted to the hitmammals booth, and she had to fight the urge to sigh in relief that the still visible rabbit ears didn't even twitch in her direction. The waitress seemed oblivious to her reaction, and bowed slightly before retreating back towards the main sushi bar.

Skye, kept the smile on her muzzle, but looked back to her mate. They had long ago devised surreptitious hand signals for just such an occasion, and she made to examine her middle claw, while forming it into a circle with her thumb.

To jack the question was clear, "Anything?" She had asked, and Jack replied by first placing the palm of his paw on the table then twisting it ninety degrees to stand straight up before returning it to a more natural position.

"Nothing yet, they're just talking." Skye interpreted from the motion, and this time she did sigh. It had been too much to ask that the assassins would tip their hand right away, but it only made sense that they wouldn't spend _all_ their time working for Mr. Big. They were, at least from the intel that the ZPD had, some of the Big's top enforcers and wouldn't handle the minor issues that crept up in the criminal enterprise.

" _Oh no,"_ she thought _"they'd only be called in when a mammal needs to be frightened...or removed."_ The thought was accompanied by a sense of resignation, and so she took the chance to look at the menu, her eyes bulging slightly at the cost printed beside each item. _"We might be here for a while, but thank the Celestials that we can expense this."_

When the waitress returned with their tea, Skye had picked out a selection of vegetarian options for Jack, but had decided to spoil herself a little. _"He's the one missing out, after all,"_ she thought as the other fox poured, first Jack's cup, and then her own.

"Are you ready to order?" The vixen asked once she had placed the pot onto a small stand in the middle of the table.

Skye nodded and began picking out various menu items. "My friend will have the vegetarian miso soup, the edamame, the avocado maki, and the spicy shiitake maki. As for me, I'd like to have the full mid-mammal omakase tonight."

The waitress nodded approvingly, and, after retrieving their menus, once again retreated back to deliver the order to the chefs.

Jack had an incredulous look on his face as he looked towards his mate. In a voice that was barely a whisper he spoke "Did you just order a $300 meal for yourself?"

"Yep, and I'm going to enjoy it," she said, with no hint of remorse in her voice. "Just enjoy what comes. If you ask nicely, I'll even share some with you if you want."

The rabbit squirmed involuntarily at the thought, but quickly brought his focus back to the hitmammals behind him.

" _This is going to be a long night,_ " he thought to himself, as the waitress arrived with two steaming bowls of broth for the two of them.

* * *

Skye leaned back in the booth and hummed approvingly. _"Even if we don't catch those two, I can die happy after that meal,"_ she thought as the tamagomaki melted in her mouth.

The final dish of the eight course meal had been as much of a revelation as the previous plates, and Jack had looked askance at her several times during the meal, as the vixen nearly moaned with delight at the tastes and textures she was experiencing.

For Jack, the food had been very good, but nothing so cathartic. " _Well at least one of us needs to keep our focus on the two killers behind us!_ " He thought somewhat ruefully. Skye was normally the more professional one of the two of them, but tonight, she appeared to be on a slightly different wavelength.

Regardless, the two killers had been talking about everything _except_ their jobs. He had overheard their plans to visit her parents in Bunnyburrow in a few months, their plans for rebuilding the Wilde-Hopps Children's Benefit Charity war coffers, and even their...personal plans for the evening once they retired to their quarters, which had caused him to redden slightly under his fur at the extreme detail Wilde went into describing exactly how he wanted his rabbit served that evening.

He was almost ready to call the whole evening a bust, when he heard the telltale rumble of a phone coming from the assassins booth. Both of his ears were focused on their targets, and he concentrated on every word he could.

"Yes, sir?" Wilde's voice came through clearly, although Jack couldn't hear the voice on the other end of the line. The use of the title 'sir' made it a very small number of mammals who the two assassins would be so differential to, but the tone made it clear that this call was work-related.

There was a pause, as Wilde was probably being conveyed the instructions for him and his partner. "Yes, sir, I understand and will take care of that personally."

There was another pause, and Jack clearly heard the fox sigh in resignation. "Are you sure that's a good idea, sir? The last time she had to go down there, it was a real mess for everyone involved."

Once again there was a pause, after which Wilde replied with a simple. "Yes, sir, I'll send her down right away."

The beep of the call connecting was a clear as day, and Jack strained to hear every last detail. _"Could this be it? Is Hopps being sent on a hit?_ " he thought, his mind racing through the possibilities.

"Well, Carrots, it looks like our plans for the evening have changed,." Nick said, the resignation in his tone abundantly clear to Jack.

"Oh, what does the boss want of us tonight?" Hopps' voice was more jovial, but there was a hint of disappointment in her tone as well.

"I need to oversee something in Operations, and the boss needs you down in, _the Dungeon_." Wilde said, his tone indicating a strong distaste for the location...whatever it was. "There's a mammal making the boss...uncomfortable, and he'd like you to take care of it personally."

Jack's paws quickly made the motion that they had something, and Skye quickly motioned for the check from the waitress. Quickly paying for the meal...and being sure to collect the receipt, the two made their way out of the restaurant before the two hitmammals.

"So what's happening?" Skye asked when they were safely out of earshot.

"Hopps is being sent down to someplace called _'the Dungeon'_ to _'take care'_ of some mammal." Jack said, occasionally looking back to the entrance of the restaurant to see if the pair had left yet.

"Seriously? Somewhere called, the Dungeon?" She paused for a moment, mulling over the information. "It seems too obvious, there's no way that these two would talk about that stuff so openly."

Jack shrugged and looked up at his mate. "It's all we've got, babe. Wilde is going to somewhere called Operations, and Hopps is heading down to The Dungeon."

"Do we split up, or just tail one of them." Skye said, finally seeing the two hitmammals exit the restaurant and split apart, WIlde heading for the elevators, and Hopps towards the stairs leading back to the lobby.

"Let's tail Hopps," Jack said after a moment. "Somewhere called Operations is probably going to be under high security."

"And somewhere called the Dungeon isn't?" Skye asked, already moving to follow the rabbit at a distance."

Jack gave a small chuckle at his mate's observation. "There will probably be cameras outside, but I have a feeling that they don't want to keep too close an eye on what goes on inside, if you get my drift."

Skye nodded in understanding. Although they would want to keep tabs on who went into a presumed torture chamber, the actual goings on inside those rooms would be more or a liability than an boon. They would need to be careful getting inside, but being fairly small themselves, it should be possible, and so the pair set about following Judy...wherever she was heading to.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> The game's afoot for our favourite duo. I wanted to use this chapter to delve a bit more into Jack and Skye's personalities, as I didn't want them to just end up as simple antagonists for Nick and Judy. Hopefully they've become more than a simple foil as a result.
> 
> Now on to a minor scientific musing, specifically regarding mammalian digestion. The general convention in the public is that carnivores eat meat and herbivores eat plants, right? Well reality has a way of blurring the lines, and food selection is no different. In the wild, although their diets do tend to lean towards one end of spectrum or another, most animals will consume a mixture of plant and animal matter if it is available.
> 
> Deer have been observed eating scavenging carrion if they can, and nature is full of instances of females consuming their placenta after giving birth. We also see that many herbivores will consume insects when they can. Most animals are opportunistic feeders, and will consume anything that they consider palatable...or even if it isn't, as the consumption of rancid meat does occur.
> 
> On the other side of the fence, carnivores have been observed consuming a variety of plants, and this is even more puzzling than the herbivores eating meat. It's easy to get nutrients out of meat, as it's easily broken down, even in the stomach of ruminant animals, it just takes longer than it would in a carnivore's stomach. With plant matter, a lot of the nutrition is tied up in long polymer molecules like cellulose, and these can't be easily broken down without special conditions that aren't present in the carnivore digestive system.
> 
> So why do they do it? Well it depends on how they've evolved. Most obligate carnivores don't eat plant material for nutrients, they eat it to help clear out their digestive tract. This is the case for felines who eat grass to help alleviate hairballs and the like. For many other species, they only eat things like fruits or tubers that contain more digestible carbohydrates.
> 
> They key thing to remember is that these alternate food sources are not the main part of their diet. A herbivore consuming only meat would fare poorly, as would a carnivore only eating plant material. In the former case, their digestive tract is too long, and large amounts of meat would literally putrefy in their guts, leading to illness and death. In the latter, their inability to digest the plant material would lead to starvation. In the case of groups like felines and foxes, they would also face the hurdle of being unable to obtain all the essential amino acids (such as taurine) from plants.
> 
> Anyways, Judy eating sushi isn't as odd as it may seem. She can certainly enjoy it on occasion, just as Nick can have his love of blueberries. According to the director's Nick's actually a vegetarian, and this would mean that he'd need to be eating foods that have been supplemented in some way to avoid malnutrition, but it is possible in an advanced society, such as Zootopia.
> 
> Regardless, I'll close things off here, and once again thank Cimar for allowing me to contribute to this Herculean project.
> 
> eng050599


	5. What If Collaboration: Hitmammals 3

**Hitmammals: Chapter 3: A Swing in the Ring**

**Written by eng050599**

* * *

The path that they took wasn't a straightforward one. Although the doe initially had cut through the casino, she had quickly made her way through an unremarkable side passage and headed deeper into the building. Both Skye and Jack were wary of an ambush or cameras, but they noticed none aside from those on the floor of the casino itself, and there were no indications that this passage was for staff only.

Gingerly, they followed Judy down one corridor, and then another. The pair had to stay considerably far back, to avoid Hopps' sensitive ears betraying their presence, but still the various corridors, although utterly unadorned, were fairly straight, and as such keeping track of their prey war easier than anticipated.

It was only when they went down an unmarked stairwell, descending at least 3 stories underground as best Skye could figure, that they lost sight of their quarry. The bright lights that normally adorned the casino halls had given way to stark cinderblocks and intermittent fluorescent lighting along the ceiling, but looking both directions down the hallway, neither mammal could spot site of Ms. Hopps.

Not willing to give up the chase just yet, Skye closed her eyes and lifted her muzzle to try and catch the scent of her prey in the air. It worked, and she quickly had a mental image of the doe turning left at the base of the stairwell and heading down the hall in that direction.

Motioning with her paw, she and Jack crept forward, quickly coming to an L intersection, the hallway once again turning ninety degrees to the left. Sparing a glance down the hall, Skye cursed quietly. Although there was no sign of Hopps, there was a large metal door at the end of the hallway, along with two VERY large polar bears guarding it.

Ducking back around the corner, Skye shrugged. "Well now what?" she asked her mate.

Jack was already scanning the doors along the highway, when he suddenly clicked his tongue, and motioned for Skye to follow him. He quickly padded over to a door marked 'Maintenance: Return Air Plenum' and waved Skye forward.

"Do you have your lockpicks on you?" he asked, and smiled when she reached for her pocket without hesitation.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked sarcastically, while retrieving a small pouch and quickly selecting a tension wrench and W rake. "I have to take off my wedding ring more often than I'm without these babies. Can you give me some light?"

Jack nodded and pulled out a small penlight from his pocket and directed the beam towards the door handle.

Fortunately, it was a simple lock to pick. This room obviously not high on the list of security threats. Within thirty seconds, the lock popped open, and the pair quietly made their way inside.

The room was utterly spartan inside, with little more than a desk crammed against the wall, and the rest of the room filled with ventilation ducting, branching off in multiple directions, feeding the return air for the HVAC system.

Jack immediately made his way to the desk, and began looking at the various diagrams arranged in an orderly fashion on its surface. Looking back over his shoulder to his mate, he beckoned her forward. "Skye, you're better at this mechanical stuff than I am," he said, motioning to one of the schematics. "Do any of these vents move past that door we saw?"

The vixen's eyes lit up at her mate's intuition, and she gazed down at what she now recognized as the layout of the local ventilation system. They were in the main return plenum, which probably meant that it was the central hub for this floor, or even multiple floors.

For once she was happy that the mammal behind these plans had been a rather anal retentive individual, and they had handily labeled both the room that they were in as well as the numerical code used for each branch of the duct system. Looking between the plans and the vents, she quickly had a route that would take the pair past the door, and lead them to either a rather gloomy office, given its subterranean local, or merely another maintenance room.

She frowned slightly at one disruption in their plans. Although Jack would be able to make it through the vent on the other side of the door, Skye would need to travel another 100 meters down the vent before she could exit into what appeared to be a washroom...although wich gender wasn't listed, which could make things dicey if another mammal walked in.

" _We'll have to split up, and try to meet back together ASAP,"_ she thought to herself, as she memorized the twists and turns she would need to make.

After a moment, she nodded her head and looked up to her mate. "Got it!" she said confidently, and moved to one of the ducts, once again removing her multitool and starting to loosen an access panel on the side.

"I have to take a more roundabout way to get out of these vents, but I can get you out almost as soon as you make it past the door." She said after poking her head into the duct and seeing that the way was clear. Turning to face Jack, she cupped he paws in front of her to give the smaller rabbit a boost to the access panel.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Skye?" Jack asked hesitantly as he placed one foot into the makeshift platform and was lightly heaved up into the air, the rabbit easily pulling himself into the duct, and reaching back to lend his mate a paw. "Getting separated in a place like this is right out of a bad gangster flick."

Skye sighed as she took Jack's paw and crawled into the duct. "I know, and no, it's not a good idea, but it's all we have to go on." She motioned forward with her paw down the shaft. "Come on, but be quiet. We don't want to attract any more attention than we already have."

* * *

As the two started to make their way down the shaft, another fox standing in a room many floors away was smiling at the monitor in front of him. "Carrots, the mice are in the walls. It looks like I owe you a foot massage tonight." The todd glanced at the clock in the room. "Estimate five minutes until Briar Rabbit stumbles in and crashes your party. I'll move to intercept Snow White, but estimate seven minutes before she's in the room as well."

Judy's voice came through the coms along with a hefty amount of background noise. Some kind of pounding heavy metal was being played, and it nearly drowned out her words. "More than enough time for me to finish playing with my toys." The doe said, and then there was the clear sound of snapping bones over the fox's earpiece followed by the bleating of another mammal. The cries were cut off by a meaty thump while Judy exhaled sharply in time with the blow. "Just give me the signal when you're ready."

"You know it, Love." Nick said, before turning off the monitor and heading towards the elevator; his paw motioning for two arctic wolf security guards to follow after him.

" _The mice have taken the bait,"_ he thought to himself as the elevator doors closed. _"Now it's time to spring the trap."_

* * *

As Jack and Skye made their way along the ventilation duct, that same pounding music began to filter into their ears as well. Jack glanced back at his mate, who shrugged as to the implications. Was it to drown out the screams of the hitmammal's victims, or was this merely a recreational event for the rabbit. Either way they would soon find out.

Reaching the first vent, Skye pushed Jack aside, as she peered into the room. Her eyes were better able to pierce the darkness, but she saw nothing untowards, and after taking a few moments to listen attentively for any signs of life inside the small room, she shifted onto her back, and kicked one side of the vent lose. The noise was deafening in comparison to the low thumping of the music, but there was no sign that the intrusion had been detected...yet.

The fox, reached out and finished detaching the grate from the duct, and then placed it back in the duct before motioning for Jack to clamber down. The buck only just managing to fit through the opening. "Remember, keep out of sight if you can, Jack. We don't know what we're dealing with here, and we have no cell phone or radio signal down here."

Jack nodded, and quietly moved to the door. Before opening it, he looked back to his mate, and blew her a kiss. "Don't worry about me, Love. I'll be like a shadow," he said, and with that he opened the door and slipped into the hallway.

Skye shook her head at her husband, but then sighed and began the long crawl to where she could exit out of the vents.

* * *

Aside from the music, there were no signs of life in the stark hallway. Jack couldn't see any signs of life. His nose, although nowhere near as sensitive as Skye's twitched as he tried to tease out the scent of the various mammals that had made use of this corridor in the recent past.

The scent of his quarry was definitely present, and no more than a quarter hour old, but there were also a lot of other scents from earlier intermingled with it. He couldn't tell them all apart, but there were over a dozen different species...at least he thought that was the case.

Things didn't become any clearer as he approached the door at the end of the hall. Like the one they had seen being guarded previously, this was a heavy metal door, but painted red. There were no guards, and merely a simple control panel on the side with a single button on it.

Glancing around, Jack shrugged and pressed the button. The action was followed by several loud clunks as the locking mechanism disengaged, and the door began to swing open. Jack's senses were immediately inundated with sensory overload, and the pounding music swelled in his ears, combined with a dazzling display of light...and the unmistakable roar of a crowd on the edge of their seats.

When the buck's eyes adjusted to the lights, he saw that he was standing at the entrance to...what could only be described as something right out of a modern gladiatorial flick. Seats surrounded a large octagonal cage in which Jack could clearly see Judy Hopps engaged with a rather hulking moose.

One would think that there couldn't be a more one sided fight...but you would be wrong. By this point, the moose was already on the ground, one gangly leg twisted in a grotesque mockery of its proper shape. It had been dislocated at the knee...and possibly at the hip. Jack could barely tell, but even still the moose was trying to get back to his feet.

On the other side of the arena, Nick stood in the shadows of a private box, watching as Jack entered into the arena. Bringing one paw to his earpiece, he sent the signal to his mate. "Briar Rabbit has arrived. Time to stop playing around, Carrots."

In response, Judy suddenly jumped back from the struggling moose, leaping high and twisting in mid air to come feet-first against the side of the caged arena, from there she sprang off with all the strength she could muster, twisting to deliver a tornado kick just below the moose's ear. The effect was instantaneous, and the ungulates eyes rolled back in his skull as he slumped to the mat.

Hopps ignored the roars of the crowd, and after grasping the much larger mammal by one of its antlers, twisted the moose's head so that his throat was fully exposed. She reached up with her right paw, its digits ramrod straight, and pointing directly at the exposed flesh of the unconscious mammal's larynx.

Jack recognized the maneuver instantly, and his mind flashed through his options. _"She's gong to kill him! I've got no choice."_

His mind made up, he reached into his coat to retrieve his badge, and took advantage of a sudden silence that came over the crowd when Hopps was posed to strike.

"ZPD, NOBODY MOVE!" He cried out as loudly as he could, and was pleasantly surprised when it seemed as though all the eyes in the arena turned to face him. Even Hopps, glanced in his direction before releasing the moose's antler, and shaking her head moved to lean against the side of the cage.

Jack made his way down the stairs, hanging the badge around his neck as he did so, and was quickly face to face with the doe; only the chain link fence separating the two of them. "Judith Hopps, you are under arrest for attempted mammalcide," he stated confidently, and was only moderately surprised when Judy laughed in his face.

"Oh, Jackie Boy, I knew you still had the hots for me, but interrupting a cage match? Wow, Officer Skye must really be neglecting her wifely duties if you're this pent up," she stated loudly enough for at least half of the arena to hear, and the catcalls began instantly. Most of them seemed to be similar insults to the ones that Hopps had made, but there was also more than one offer of 'assistance' for him in this regard from both male and female voices in the crowd.

Jack's countenance darkened at the insult, and he sneered at the hitmammal. "You've got one hell of a mouth, Hopps, but I know what I saw there, and you were about to kill that mammal."

Judy once again laughed in the buck's face. "I may have a mouth, Savage, but at least I know how to use it effectively," she once again looked the other rabbit up and down, not even trying to keep the smirk out of her voice. "Maybe I should show you how to use it properly, or at least give Skye some pointers...provided of course Nick isn't already handling that particular lesson with her."

"You Bitch!" Jack spat at her. "You're going down this time. Everyone here saw you…"

"Take up her trademarked victory pose," a smooth but unfamiliar voice chimed in from behind the pair.

Jack spun around to see a middle aged cheetah in a tuxedo flanked on either side by obvious polar bear muscle. The big cat looked down at Jack, and the rabbit could practically feel the disdain radiating off of him in waves.

"Officer Savage, I don't know what you _think_ you saw here, but all you've done is interrupt…" The cheetah, paused for effect, and then turned around to face the crowd "MFC 39!" The announcer cried out to the adulation of the crowd who gave up their silence to loudly cheer the proclamation. The cheetah raised his paws, playing to the audience, for a bit before continuing. "Now gentle mammals, we'll have this misunderstanding taken care of shortly, but for now, let's hear it for our winner, the still undefeated Judy, the Hurricane, Hopps! For those of you tuning in at home...all 55 _million_ of you, we now have a word from our sponsors."

Once again, the crowd went wild, and Judy took that to engage in an acrobatic display in the ring, ending the display with a triple flip that landed on the chest of her fallen foe, bringing about a quiet grunt from the slowly recovering mammal.

Jack looked around and only now noticed the camera aligned along the ceiling of the auditorium, many of which were focused now on him.

" _The chief is going to skin me alive,"_ was the only thought running through his head, until Hopps' voice called out to him.

"Looks like you lose again, Jackie Boy," the doe sauntered her way back to the fence separating the two of them. "Unless of course you want to climb in here and give it a go?" The other rabbit looked him over and laughed. "Who am I kidding, you couldn't take me on your best day, let alone now that you're a washed up beat cop who, unless my sources are wrong, is about a fur's breadth from getting shitcanned as it stands."

Something inside of Jack snapped, and he let loose a growl that was utterly incongruous with his lapine form. "I might not be able to arrest you tonight, but I will teach you a carrot-plucking lesson."

Jack started towards the entrance to the arena, only to be stopped by the announcer. "Hold on there. You can't just jump in there, we have a scheduled fight coming up."

"Let him in, Albert. I've been looking forward to this for a long time," Judy said from the opposite side of the ring.

The cheetah nodded differentially to Judy, and snapped his digits at one of his bodyguards, who produced a ream of paper. "Officer Savage, I need you to sign these waivers before you can compete in an Mammalian Fight Club match." He handed over a pen to the rabbit and pointed out several locations where the ZPD officer either had to sign or initial.

Jack barely paid attention to the paperwork, his mind was fully focused on the female rabbit in the cage, and he was already picturing how sweet it would be to leave her bloodied on the arena floor. She was right, he couldn't arrest her, but he could use his training to make sure that her career as a hitmammal was at an end. MFC matches had very few rules. No eye gouging, and the fight stopped when one opponent submitted or was rendered unconscious.

" _There's a lot that I can do with those rules,"_ he thought to himself, having seen some of Hopps' previous performance, he was already formulating a strategy. _"She relies on rapid movement, and quick strikes. Jam her up, and get her onto the ground, and she'll break."_

He finished the final bits of paperwork, and one of the polar bear guards, opened the gate for him. The larger mammal muttered something under his breath, and for most mammals, it would have been inaudible. To Jack however, it was as clear as day.

"Dead mammal walking."

* * *

Skye was still struggling to make her way out of the air duct, the internal structure had contained several considerable narrowings along her route that had required some real effort to squeeze through. At any other time, a joke about her figure might have crossed her mind, but first, she was fighting against her skeleton more than anything else, and she just knew that Jack would find some way to get into trouble without her.

She finally reached the proper air duct, and after a cursory glance around the room, she once again kicked the corner of the vent to loosen it, before fully removing it and lowered herself to the ground. The room was, as indicated, a restroom, and Skye sighed in relief that it was unoccupied at that moment, and also was for females.

" _The less questions I have to deal with the better,"_ she mused, moving to let herself out of the room.

The door opened smoothly, and Skye quietly slipped out into what appeared to be a private office. _"No,_ " she thought to herself, " _It's like a private box in...an arena."_

Her eyes whipped to the padded seats in front of her, just in time for the rooms sole occupant to pivot his chair around to face his new visitor.

"Officer Winters, what a pleasant surprise," Nick Wilde said smoothly, as the vixen's blood turned to ice in her veins.

" _It was another trap,"_ her mind screamed, as Wilde motioned her towards the adjacent seat.

"Of course you'd want to see how your mate does in the ring, so I prepped this room just for the two of us." He smiled, reaching over to retrieve a bottle of Champagne as he spoke. "Think of us as being in the Mates and Friends club, watching our partners on the field of battle."

"What are you talking about, Wilde?" Skye asked, moving over to look out the window, but maintaining her distance from the assassin.

Nick leaned back and steepled his digits in thought. "Well, your partner decided to interrupt a MFC match...that Judy won with ease I might add, and then he decided to take his chance with her in the octagon." The todd shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure at which point exactly he lost his mind, but the show's just about to begin."

"Get him out of there!" Skye yelled at Nick as she saw her husband warming up in the ring. Hopps was just leaning against the far wall, a bored expression on her face.

When Skye looked back towards Nick, she saw him shake his head. "He went in there of his own volition Officer Winters, and he even signed the waivers and contracts to that effect." The red fox shrugged before continuing. "I don't know why he decided to go in there, but if I had to guess, I'd say that he's grown frustrated at being unable to find anything on my mate and I." Nick's expression grew cold as he stared Skye in the eye. "Perhaps you should consider that there is nothing to find about us Miss Winters. You've been at this for months, and have nothing to show for it."

Nick stood, and moved over to the glass, leaning against it and looking down at the arena. "I don't mind saying that Judy and I are also quite frustrated at your continued harassment of us _Officer_ Winters. The ZPD has been tailing our every move for years, and we've held our noses out of respect; yes respect, for you, officer."

He pushed off from the wall and faced Skye once again. "But that respect ended when you destroyed those toys. You and the ZPD's hatred has now hurt those most vulnerable, and we're not going to take it lying down any more." The todd motioned back to the arena. "Consider this an example of what we're willing to do when you've backed us into a corner."

Skye was rendered mute at Nick's words, and with a growing sense of dread, she fixed her gaze on the ring.

* * *

"Tonight we have a special exhibition match for you gentle mammals," the announcer began, the house lights dimming, rendering only the arena floor illuminated in stark white light. "Our champion, Judy, the Hurricane, Hopps has agreed to answer a challenge from the floor. I give you, Jack, ZPD, Savage!"

There was a smattering of applause from the crowd, but Judy shook her head. "No way, Savage. I'm not dumb enough to hit a cop. Lose the badge, or this fight's over before it begins."

"Like I need a shield to deal with you," the buck snarled, removing his badge and tossing it into the corner. The act was caught by several of the cameras, and broadcast live across Zootopia.

The announcer's voice came over the PA system, as the door to the cage slammed shut, and was locked with a heavy chain. "You both know the rules." At which point there was another round of laughter from the crowd. "Let the best mammal win!"

Jack took up an aggressive fighting stance. He had been drilled in Adaptive Mammalian Close Quarters Combat from the moment he entered into the academy, and had taken all the lessons to heart. He was somewhat surprised to see Hopps smile and take up a mirrored stance...no it wasn't a mirrored stance at all, it was a counter to his own. Her weight was more on her rear leg, and her paws were ready to deflect his attacks.

" _She knows AMCQC?"_ The thought rocketed through his mind, and Hopps saw the look of recognition in his eyes and gave a laugh.

"What? Didn't they tell you?" the doe laughed. "You may have been the first rabbit to _join_ the ZPD, but you weren't the first to _try_ , Jackie Boy." She had an utterly malicious smile on her muzzle when she continued. "When you see her again, tell Carol that I miss our one-on-one sessions."

The doe didn't even twitch before she exploded forward. Jack was caught off guard, Judy's earlier comments shattering his focus, and his stance was unprepared to play defensive. He was quickly brought back to the present when Judy's palm smashed into his nose.

He jumped backwards, trying to create distance between him and the assassin, while at the same time shaking his head to clear the tears that were welling as a result of the blow. He knew from experience that his nose was broken, but the damage was minimal, and it was more a distraction than anything else.

He was right in that regards, when his breath left his body in a rush as a foot solidly connected with his midsection. The blow lifted him from his feet, and slammed him into the cage wall, before he slumped to the ground. Fortunately, he was able to compartmentalize the pain, and focus on his opponent who was, as he expected, hell-bent on continuing the assault.

As Judy slid forward on her hindpaw, Jack quickly rolled under the oncoming roundhouse kick, and wrapped his own legs around the one she was using for support. Before he could rotate the grapple into a proper take down, she redirected the roundhouse into and axe kick, trying to drive her heel directly into his skull.

The buck brought up both paws in an X block to block the blow, taking the not insubstantial hit on his braced wrists. He quickly moved to grasp onto the momentarily stopped limb, but Hopps used his block as a springboard to hurtle herself upwards, freeing both her legs in the process before completing a full 360 flip rotation and landing precisely in the midpoint of the arena.

The doe bent her knees as she landed, and the smirk never left her muzzle as she once again sprang forward.

* * *

"Ouch!" Wilde said in response to Judy's acrobatic escape. "That was very sloppy of him...and probably the best chance he was going to get you know," he said, looking over at his ' _companion_ ' for the evening.

"You don't know what you're talking about Wilde." Skye said dismissively. She had been as surprised as her mate appeared to have been at Hopps' choice of combat styles, but she still had confidence in her mate's abilities.

"I don't know Winters. _I_ certainly don't have any problem pinning Judy _whenever_ I want to." His eyes became slits as he looked over at the vixen. "Perhaps you'd like a few lessons yourself."

Skye gave a bark of laughter. "Ha! That won't work on me Wilde. We've both bonded to our mates. It wouldn't matter if you were a cover-model for MQ, you wouldn't have a chance, and you wouldn't want to regardless."

Nick laughed and tipped an imaginary hat at Skye in reply. "Touche, Officer Winters, but my previous comment does stand. Officer Savage is out of his league in this one. He's hotheaded, and he's bitten off more than he can chew on this one."

Nick pushed away from the window, and made his way to the main door. "This won't be much longer, and he'll probably need your help getting out of here," he said, motioning with his paw to the concerned vixen. "It might not mean much, but Judy really won't injure him too badly. She's more frustrated about your continual harassment, and will use this as a chance to blow off some steam."

Skye said nothing, and when Nick reached out to place a paw on her shoulder, she glared at him until his paw dropped by his side.

"You can't fool me Wilde," she said callously, not breaking eye contact with the todd. "You may have set this up, but I can smell the blood on you. You're a killer for hire, and we will bring you down."

Nick shook his head sadly, and started walking down the hallway, the two wolf guards, taking up position precisely five paces behind the two foxes.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Officer Winters," Nick said, shrugging his shoulders in resignation. "It probably means very little, but both Judy and I do have some respect for you and Officer Savage. The two of you pushed against the barriers that kept our species from entering into professions like the ZPD when we tried years ago." He looked over his shoulder at the vixen. "It really would be a shame if you two chose Judy and I to be your hill to die on, career wise, at least."

Skye snorted in derision. "It means less than nothing, Wilde. You work for a crime boss, so don't try to take any moral high ground, or move for sympathy," she didn't even look towards Nick as she walked, never once moving her gaze from the hallway in front of her. It was as if the todd were truly beneath her notice. "You're a just another thug, with an over-inflated sense of self worth, and I will relish the day when Jack and I bring you down."

Nick's nose twitched, and he couldn't help but smile. Her words were full of bluster, but her scent told another tale.

She was scared.

* * *

Jack was once again forced against the wall of the cage. He threw his paws out low, expecting for Hopps to strike with her dominant leg against his increasingly bruised ribs. He caught a flurry of movement above his head just in time to see Judy leap up and twist herself into a horizontal position before completing a full body rotation and striking down at the buck's exposed head with her right leg.

He managed to roll with the blow, taking the majority of the force on the side of his head, the doe's foot sliding roughly down his cheek before painfully connecting with his collarbone. Fortunately, the blow lacked to force to break the bone, but there was little that the buck could do as Judy landed lightly on her left foot, and roughly grabbed his ears before driving her knee into his face.

Once again, he managed to turn away from the blow, but he felt something give in his cheek, and he saw stars just before Hopps shifted her grip to the front of his shirt before rolling backwards, planting both feet into his midsection, and heaving the buck backwards towards the center of the ring.

The wind once again rushed out of his lungs as he hit the ground. He had no time to react, and was only dimly aware of his surroundings as Judy coiled her body and thrust both feet into the air, springing back to her feet. She wasted no time and lept into a backwards flip before driving both her feet into the prone buck's stomach.

The weight was crushing, but Jack was only dimly aware of it. His vision was swimming, but it cleared just in time to see Judy right paw raised in a knife hand suddenly swing down between his eyes before blackness claimed him.

* * *

Skye arrived on the main floor, just as Judy was completing her acrobatic assault on her mate. She just barely had time to cry out her mate's name, before the female rabbit rendered him unconscious.

" _Please be okay. Please be okay."_ Her professional demeanor crumbled as she ran towards the cage door, which was already being opened by the security mammals. Regardless of their tough demeanor, one look at the expression on the vixen's face had every one of the stepping back as she entered into the arena.

She was somewhat surprised to see Hopps, carefully checking her mate's vitals as she approached, and was moving him into a recovery position. The doe's ears twitched as she approached, and she backed away from the injured rabbit without prompting.

Sky saw the blood covering her husband's face, and she moved to cradle his head in her lap. She was dimly aware of a white coat wearing mammal kneeling beside her, and beginning to assess Jack's injuries. She could see that he was breathing steadily, and that was enough for now.

They had once again underestimated the two hitmammals, but this time they had gone too far. They had hurt the one mammal she care the most for in this world, and she would see the two of them burn for it.

She couldn't keep the rage out of her gaze as Wilde entered into the ring, and the smirk on his muzzle only made her anger burn more fiercely. The red fox tossed a piece of paper onto her mate's chest, and she looked down at it cocking her head to the side in curiosity. It was a check for $25,000 made out to Jack Savage.

"That's the standard purse for the loser of a championship bout, Winters. As your husband is now under contract with B.I.G. entertainment, he's entitled to the full amount." The todd retrieved a stack of folded papers from his front pocket and offered them to the vixen. "Jack signed a standard twelve month contract, and our representatives will be in contact regarding any future fights."

With that, Nick retrieved his smartphone from his pocket and snapped a picture of the arctic fox with her battered mate, making sure that the check and the contract were plainly visible.

Only then did Judy cross over and wrap one arm around her mate. She wasn't even breathing hard, when she looked down at Skye with pure malice in her eyes. "Whatever will Bogo say about that. Having an officer under contract with a known mobster?"

"The scandal!" Nick said with mock sincerity before turning on his heel and walking out of the ring with his mate.

The announcer came over the PA system, once again riling up the crowd for the next bout, but Skye heard none of it. They had been well and truly played, but this was far from the end. She held her husband's form all the more tightly, as she lifted him from the ground, against the protestations of the fight doctor.

She didn't care. She would take her husband home, she would nurse him back to health, and then the two of them would put an end to the two hitmammals...one way or another.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> I don't have much to add to this chapter aside from a few comments about the fight. Some of you might be wondering how on Earth a rabbit could destroy a moose in combat, and it is a bit of a stretch, but still possible. It all comes down to where and how you strike a target.
> 
> For any of you who have trained in hand to hand combat, you know that technique is utterly key in regards to how effective your strikes and blocks are going to be. Bad form will rob your blows of power and render your defenses inadequate. In Judy's case, I was careful to have her always striking where the body is its weakest, namely locations like the joints and the throat. In the case of the knee, it's quite resilient to pressure from the front, but is quite weak to lateral force, and even a light blow can cause severe damage to the tendons and ligaments present there. Although she would need to but her full body weight behind such a blow, it is entirely feasible for her to be able to deliver such an attack.
> 
> It all comes down to training, practice...and being more than a little crazy.
> 
> As for who is this Carol?
> 
> Sgt. Carol Latrans (Ret) is an OC from Lost Causes and Broken Dreams. She's the mate of the main protagonist, and a close combat instructor for the Zootopia Armed Forces as well as a civilian liaison to the ZPD and other government agencies. As part of the world building that I did for the story, I considered the challenge of designing an adaptable fighting style that could be modified to accommodate different body sizes and anatomy. AMCQC was the result.
> 
> As is the case with modern military close combat, it's a melding of multiple styles, focusing on what works in a given situation, and doing away with a lot of the "art" portion of the martial arts. For small mammals, like Judy and Jack, speed and mobility are the focus. They need to move in and out of range quickly, not giving larger opponents a chance to strike or grapple. As mentioned above, targeting the joints, pressure points, and soft targets (eyes, throat, and groin) is the priority.
> 
> For more of Carol's story, be sure to take a look at Lost Causes and Broken Dreams on either FinFiction or AO3. They're listed under my username, eng050599. The usual caveat applies in that it's not a happy story. There are brief moments of joy, punctuated by profound anguish. The interspecies couples who come to the Honeywell Centre in the hopes of bringing life into this world are all too often left with little more than the ashes of loss.
> 
> It's not all doom and gloom, and I also try to dig a bit deeper than most authors into the underlying science that goes on in a research, or clinical setting.
> 
> I'll wrap things up here as we move into the end game. What will Skye and Jack do to try and take the hitmammals down? All will become clear soon.
> 
> Thanks once again to Cimar for letting me take part in this, as well as for editing this and the other chapters.
> 
> If anyone has questions relating to this work, or any other science-related questions, don't hesitate to send me a message.
> 
> eng050599


	6. What If Collaboration: Hitmammals 4

**Hitmammals: Chapter 4: A Desperate Gamble**

**Written by Eng050599**

* * *

Nick and Judy made their way out of the arena well ahead of Skye and the unconscious Jack. They didn't take the main entrance however, and instead slipped into an unmarked side passage. Halfway down the corridor, the pair stopped at what appeared to be an utterly blank wall. Nick reached up and placed his thumb on a small discoloration in the paint, and a low chime sounded before the walls parted, revealing a hidden elevator. The hitmammals glanced back the way they had come to ensure they were alone before boarding the elevator and pressing one of the unlabeled buttons on the control panel.

They remained silent until the doors closed, and then Judy looked up at her mate. "Do you think that was enough to set them off?" she asked, stretching her arms above her head after her exertions in the ring.

Nick took a moment to admire her form, a real smile on his muzzle as he considered Judy's words. "Winters was ready to skin you in the cage, so I think that she's primed to say the least. As for Savage, I can only assume that he'll be wanting revenge sooner rather than later...provided he's not eating through a tube for the foreseeable future."

Judy gave a snort of derision at the comment. "Trust me, the worst I did was break his nose and his left zygomatic arch," she said with confidence, having maintained a detailed inventory of the blows she had delivered to the overconfident buck. "He'll be sore as hell, and have black eyes to match his stripes, but he'll be back up to speed within a day."

Nick nodded in agreement; his own estimation of Jack's injuries matched his mates. "Then either that will be enough on its own, or when the Chief chews him out for his new employment, it should be enough for us to move this into the end game."

Judy looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "You know they'll try to kill us after this, right? They're not going to take the chance that we'll weasel our way out of their custody again."

"That was the goal of all of this, Carrots," Nick said, reaching out to wrap one arm around his mate. "They have no idea how close they've come a couple of times, but we need them off this case, and out of the ZPD if possible."

Judy sighed, and leaned into Nick's one armed embrace. "I know, but the fact that we can't take the chance of killing _them_ makes this a really dangerous game to play."

The two had required some concessions from Mr. Big before agreeing to take up their current roles. One of those had been a blanket promise; they would never be asked to kill any member of the ZPD, other first responders, or their immediate family. The arctic shrew had accepted this condition without reservation, and had honored their request over the years.

It might have seemed twisted after a fashion, but the pair did want to make the world a better place, they just used more permanent methods than the ZPD.

The elevator came to a stop, the doors opening to reveal a spacious penthouse apartment. This place was normally their refuge from the world, but tonight it would be a place for planning. The end game was approaching, and they needed to make sure that all the pieces were in place.

Nick made his way through the living room, and into their office. Multiple monitors were affixed to the wall, showing the live feed from the security cameras peppered throughout the building. Taking a seat at the workstation, he tapped a few keys as the screens cycled through the various feeds. Judy walked up behind her mate, her eyes focused on the images.

They were both hunting for their prey.

"There!" Judy stated, pointing to one of the monitors. Skye was still making her way out of the sub-basement, carrying the inert form of her husband. As the pair watched, Jack twitched in Skye's arms, and his eyes fluttered open. There was no audio from the feed, but they could see the concern on Skye's face as she looked down at her mate, her mouth moving in what were probably words of comfort.

"He doesn't look too bad from here," Nick stated, his eyes flicking towards the on screen clock. "He was probably out for only seven minutes or so."

"I told you I was being careful," Judy said, reaching up to ruffle the fur on her mate's head.

On screen, Jack motioned for Skye to put him down, the buck initially wobbling on his feet. Reaching out to his mate for support, he took several hesitant steps before he smiled up at Skye, who cupped his cheek with her free paw, only to jerk it back when Jack winced in pain. The rabbit gingerly prodded his face, taking stock of his injuries before reaching out and taking his mates paw, placing it on his uninjured cheek, the beginnings of a smile returning to his muzzle.

Judy sighed and shook her head at the pair. "I wish this could work out differently," she said sadly.

Nick nodded his head in reply. "I know. They're basically our doppelgangers but for the whims of fate. The lucky ones who got the jobs we wished we had."

The two assassins watched the ZPD officers make their way out of the casino and enter their car.

"Do you think they'll head straight to the precinct?" Nick asked, switching the camera feed to the supposedly secure city Jam Cam feeds so they could track Jack and Skye's progress through the city.

Judy took note of the pair's direction as they merged onto one of the district's main thoroughfares before replying. "With those two, it's a certainty. Even though we played them for fools, they won't try to sweep it under the rug." Pushing away from her mate, Judy made her way out of the office. Pausing at the door she looked back towards Nick. "Come on, we need to get prepped. They won't waste time once Bogo chews them out. We need to be in position for this to go as planned."

There was a soft chime from the workstation, and Nick raised one digit at his mate, indicating that he would be joining her shortly, before opening the incoming message. A smile spread over his muzzle as the message directed him to the profile page of the MFC's newest fighter, Jack, ZPD, Savage. The PR mammals had done their work perfectly, and the buck was pictured in full dress blues, further implicating his conflict of interest.

Nick pushed away from the terminal, and made his way over to Judy, gently lifting the doe's chin before bending down and giving her a brief kiss. Pulling back, the tod shared a knowing glance at his mate. "Let's end this, Carrots," he said, motioning back to the still displayed profile page. "The press release will be going out soon, and once that happens Bogo will have no choice but to suspend Savage, and probably Winters as well. We've pushed all the right buttons, and this should be the final push to make them fully unhinged."

Judy returned her mate's loving gaze. "Just remember, Slick, we've backed them into a corner. We need to be on our toes if we want to come out of this alive."

"I know you have my back, Carrots, and that's all I ever need," Nick said as he placed his arm around Judy's hip and the pair walked back towards the private elevator. Their plan would require some prep to pull off, but they had years of experience to draw upon. By this time tomorrow, the ZPD officers would either no longer be a concern…or the two hitmammals would be dead.

Either way, they would face their fate as they did everything in this life, together.

* * *

Skye once again glanced over at her husband as they made their way back to Savannah Central and the precinct. Although he had repeatedly stated that he was fine, she couldn't help but be worried for her mate. Judy had methodically pummeled the rabbit, and although the damage didn't seem severe, Jack had lost consciousness, which was never a good thing.

"Are you still with me, Love?" she asked, not even trying to keep the worry from her tone.

Jack gave a rough chuckle at the question. "I said I'm fine, Skye. I got roughed up a bit, but it's no worse than what we went through at the academy."

Jack paused and looked over to his mate as she pulled the car to a stop at an intersection. "You know that I'm going to be suspended for this, right?" he said succinctly, knowing full well the consequences for his action. "Bogo's not going to have a choice in the matter, and I was an idiot to get baited like that."

Skye sighed heavily as she looked over at her mate. "We'll get through this, but we can't let those two get away once again." The vixen returned her gaze to the road as her expression hardened. "We need to end this; one way or another."

Jack looked at her askance. "What are you thinking, Love?" he asked hesitantly.

Skye's eyes never left the road, but there was the undertone of a growl in her voice as she spoke. "We need to end this, Jack. No more playing around. We report in to Bogo, and then we hunt those two down." Her voice was firm, and Jack could hear the rage that his mate felt. "No badges, no rules, no compromises. We don't stop until those two are dead."

Skye's words kindled something deep in the rabbit's chest, and his paws clenched into fists as he mentally took in the implications for the two of them. "There's no coming back from this, Love. If we take this road, we might not like what comes out on the other side," he said quietly, wanting his mate to be fully aware of the consequences of this decision.

Skye nodded in reply, "We joined the ZPD to make the world a better place. Those thugs are a threat to the city and every mammal in it. We take them down, and then we tear down Mr. Big's operation brick by brick if we have to."

"That might be a wee bit ambitious, Skye," Jack said with a small laugh. "Let's focus on Hopps and Wilde for now," he said, leaning back into his seat. They were approaching Precinct One, and they would need to move quickly to secure the necessary hardware. "When we head in, I'll sneak into the armory and get us some hardware while you report to Bogo."

Skye nodded her head in understanding. "Just be careful that you're not seen, and only take stuff that's easily hidden." Although she would have preferred to be armed with more substantial firepower, getting even handguns out of the precinct would be enough of a challenge as it was. Fortunately, their targets weren't large mammals, and even a .22 would be up to the task.

"I know," Jack said, having reached the same conclusion as his mate. "I'll just try and grab two pistols with suppressors if possible. I'm small enough that I can get in and out without being seen and I'll stash them in my locker before joining you in getting reamed by the chief."

Skye simply nodded, focusing on the road ahead of them, both the literal one they were traveling on, as well as the new path they had set themselves upon. Part of her mind reached back to a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche that seemed quite apt for their new direction in life.

" _If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."_

* * *

They made the rest of the drive in silence, both of them mulling over their upcoming tasks. When Skye pulled into the motor pool, Jack wasted no time in bolting for the station's doors. He would need to move quickly to secure the weapons before his presence was noticed. Fortunately, being the smallest mammal on the force had its advantages. Namely that he could make his way through almost the entire station unseen.

As was normally the case, the armory was staffed by Sargent Scrofa, one of the T.U.S.K. officers stationed at the precinct. Jack was silently grateful that the boar was the one on duty, as he had a tendency to nod off…which fortunately was the case today, as Jack silently crept past his snoring colleague. He didn't waste time, and immediately went to retrieve two handguns for Skye and he to use.

As was standard protocol, they were neatly arranged in racks, complete with matching shoulder holsters, and he selected two of the smallest models they had as well as four magazines each. The odds are they wouldn't need more, and keeping the theft to a minimum would help to conceal it until they were out of the building.

After placing the weapons into a satchel and once again sneaking past Sargent Scrofa, Jack made his way to the locker room. As was normally the case, it was occupied, but with the handguns concealed, he didn't need to worry, and he quietly stashed the weapons into his locker.

He was just closing the door when his ears twitched towards an approaching mammal. Looking to his left, Jack saw Officer Wolford walking towards him. There was concern written on the big wolf's face, as he noticed Jack's injuries.

"You okay, Savage?" he asked while kneeling down and reaching out a paw to check the rabbit's condition.

Jack waved the paw away dismissively. "Yeah, I'm good," he said allowing his frustration to weave its way into his tone. "I just got roughed up a bit, that's all."

The older wolf shook his head in disbelief. "Getting knocked out on live TV is a bit more than getting 'roughed up a bit', Savage. What were you thinking?"

Jack groaned that the news regarding his humiliation were already making the rounds of the station. "How many know?" the buck groaned in resignation.

Wolford gave a snort of laughter and placed a paw on Jack's shoulder. "Everyone, Savage. Everyone." The wolf motioned towards the main lobby with his free paw. "Clawhauser had the fight playing at his desk, and when you showed up? Well, you had a bit of an audience. We were cheering you on, but, that bunny tore you apart."

Jack rolled his eyes, before motioning to the swelling around his left one. "Believe me, I know. Did you know that she and Wilde tried to join the ZPD? She was better at AMCQC than anyone I know except for the actual instructors, and she knew Latrans by name."

Wolford cocked his head to the side in confusion. "It's the first I've heard of it," he said questioningly. "As far as I know, you were the first rabbit to make the cut."

With a sigh of resignation, Jack leaned heavily against his locker. "And the odds are, I'll be the last as well." Straightening himself, he turned to leave the locker room. "No sense putting off the inevitable."

"Good luck, Stripes. We're all still rooting for you two, but Bogo was not impressed to see you on TV again." Wolford's expression suddenly darkened, and the wolf punched a nearby locker in frustration. "That raid and that fight were setups, and we all know it. I don't know how, but those two need to go down."

Jack nodded his head in reply, but knew that his colleague needed to remain oblivious to his plans for the two hitmammals. "We'll find a way to get them, Wolford. It just might have to wait until after my, unfortunately well deserved, suspension."

The grey wolf sighed, and waved a paw dismissively. "Take your lumps, and then get back on the streets. We'll keep your seat in the bullpen warm for you."

"Thanks," was all he said as he left the locker room. He knew the truth was that he would likely never carry a badge again. Even if they were successful, he and Skye were going to kill the two assassins, and there would be repercussions for that. In the case of a miracle, where they were able to duck the murder charges, they would probably need to be able to walk on water before they'd be trusted to carry a shield ever again.

" _If we can get those two off the streets for good, it will all be worth it,"_ he thought with determination, as he made his way upstairs to the Chief's office.

* * *

"What the hell were you two thinking, Winters?" Bogo yelled at the arctic fox sitting across from his desk. "I sent you out there to find something to book those hitmammals on, and instead your partner decides to take up a new line of work? Now, even I'll admit that even I didn't think he'd consider _joining_ Mr. Big's organization, but apparently I've been wrong about both of you."

Skye's expression never changed from one of stoic resignation as she spoke, "Sir, with all due respect, you ordered us to catch them at _something_ , and we thought we had when it looked like Hopps was going to kill that moose."

She had been filled in on the details by Jack on their drive back to the station, and she couldn't fault her husband for acting when he did. "They've always been three steps ahead of us, and I think we both know why," she continued on, voicing the conclusions that she had reached as a result of their continued failures in capturing the two hitmammals. "Mr. Big has someone, or _someones,_ in the ZPD feeding them intel, probably on a real time basis. It's the only explanation for why they're constantly able to avoid detection."

Bogo snorted in both annoyance and derision at the comment, but was forestalled from any reaction by a knock on his door. Not glancing away from Skye, he bellowed, "SAVAGE! Get your tail in here!"

The door immediately opened, and Bogo winced at the condition of his officer. The rabbit had screwed things up by the numbers, but he was _still_ one of Bogo's mammals, and the chief added on yet another debt to the tally that Mr. Big would be forced to settle one day.

"Take a seat, Savage," The cape buffalo said in his normal gruff fashion, raising a hoof to stop the rabbit from speaking. "I don't want to hear it," was all he said until the rabbit took up his position beside his mate and partner.

"Winters has filled me in on the details of your _training session_ with Hopps, and also about your theory that there's a leak in the ZPD," Bogo said before looking back towards Skye. "Do you think I don't know that, Winters?" Bogo stood and walked over to the particle board adorning the wall of his office, where the known hierarchy of the Big crime enterprise was laid out. "The ZPD has had leaks for as long as I've been on the force. Oh we've managed to catch a few of them every couple of years, but the leaks have persisted."

Suddenly, he balled up one of his hooves and punched the particle board with enough force to shake the furniture throughout the room, as well as leave a sizable hole in the board…and the underlying wall. With a snort of anger he turned back to face his officers.

"The whole reason I put you two on the case was because you were the only ones I could be certain _weren't_ in Big's pocket." He stomped back to his desk and then sighed while cradling his face in one hoof. "Every precinct, every officer, every civilian employee of the ZPD, the mayor's office, even the ZIA, and ZAF are potentially compromised."

He motioned towards Jack's injured face with his free hoof, "As you've had first paw experience with, those two have managed to obtain training that isn't supposed to be available to the public, and yes, before you ask, they both did try to join the ZPD before you two."

Bogo let out a heavy sigh. "I can count on both hooves the officers that I know are clean, and there are maybe another dozen or so that I can _probably_ be certain of," he paused before continuing, releasing his head to look at Jack and Skye. "From your backgrounds I knew that you and your families had no contact with the Big's, and your records since you started have shown this to be true."

Both Jack and Skye's eyes widened at the revelation. They had suspected that things were bad, but this? This was unheard of!

Jack regained his composure first, shaking his head in disbelief. "Sir, how could we be expected to accomplish _anything_ if we're this screwed up?"

Bogo shook his head, "You couldn't, but it was our best chance for doing things by the book." The cape buffalo once again stood up and loomed over his officers. "Unfortunately, that's no longer an option for the _two of you_.

Jack and Skye's eyes narrowed at the chiefs change of tone at the end of his statement, but they didn't have time to ask for clarification before the chief held out a hoof towards both of them. "I have no choice but to suspend you both pending an internal investigation. Hand over your badges and get out."

The order had been expected, but both mammals still flinched when Bogo said it. They looked to each other and then removed their badges from their pockets and placed them in the Chief's outstretched hoof. The two then hopped off of their chairs and gave Bogo a brief salute before turning to leave.

"Before you go, Savage. Don't forget the satchel in your locker." Bogo's voice was uncharacteristically pleasant when he spoke, "You'll probably need it tonight."

Jack froze mid-step, turning back to face Bogo. The Chief had rotated his monitor so that the buck could see the image, and Jack's eyes widened when he saw the armory clearly displayed. His eyes flicked up to meet those of this boss, and the buck nodded his head stiffly.

"Yes, sir! I will remember to grab that," was all he said before turning back, seeing the shock plainly visible on Skye's face as well. The two quickly made their exit, and Bogo sighed heavily to the empty office. He had crossed a line, but his conscious was clear. He reached out and picked up a photo from the corner of his desk, and once again looked at the cost of letting those two killers prowl _his_ streets.

The photo had come from the autopsy of one Jimmy Stell. A rat who had just happened to be Detective Wolfowitz's informant regarding the warehouse raid, and who coincidentally had died of a heart attack at the age of thirty two shortly after sharing the information. The coroner hadn't found anything incriminating from the autopsy, but the coincidence was simply too much for Bogo to stomach.

Standing up and once again heading over to the particle board, he pinned the photo up amongst the dozens of other suspected victims of the hitmammals over the years.

Looking at their faces, Bogo made the same vow he had after each one had crossed his desk.

"Never again."

He silently hoped that this would finally be the end.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> Well that escalated quickly. When I was planning out this story, I thought that taking it down an ends justify the means route worked the best from a narrative standpoint. On that note however, I wanted to be clear that there would be consequences on the characters for doing so.
> 
> All too common in media, the heroes go off the rails, catch or kill the bad guy, and face no consequences for their actions. Well that's not the case here, and Jack and Skye know full well that they probably won't make it out of this without severe consequences. In their minds however, it's worth the risk in order to protect the citizens of Zootopia, and even Bogo knows it.
> 
> There's only one more chapter to go for this part of the What If series. I once again will thank Cimar for letting me play around in his world, and giving me the chance at creating something very different from my usual fare.
> 
> As always, if you have questions regarding this story, or Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, feel free to ask. I'm also more than willing to help out any authors or artists who need assistance with technical or scientific topics, so don't hesitate to reach out!
> 
> All the best,
> 
> eng050599


	7. What if Collaboration: Hitmammals Chapter 5

**Hitmammals: Chapter 5: A Final Solution**

**Written by eng050599**

* * *

"They've taken the bait, Nick," Judy said simply, as she read the text message on her phone while resting in their living room. It was now just past eight o'clock, and they would need to move quickly to get into position. "They're going to be armed, but we don't know exactly what they'll be packing."

Nick rubbed his chin and leaned back into the couch as he considered the possibilities while idly reaching down to stroke his mates ears as she rested her head on his lap. Judy sighed contentedly, and leaned into his touch.

" _This may very well be our last day together…although we'll both do our best to make sure is isn't"_ Judy thought to herself with conviction, but she knew from experience that they both needed to treasure the time that they had all the more fiercely because of how quickly everything could be lost.

"It's not going to be anything big," Nick said after a moment looking down into Judy's eyes, "They can't be seen toting around any big guns, and with their size, even handgun options are going to be limited."

Judy nodded in agreement as she considered their own counter against Jack and Skye. The irony being the two hitmammals would need to keep all their responses on the right side of the law, while the ZPD officers had free rein. That fact was not lost on the doe, and she gave a slight chuckle at the threads of fate that had led them here.

"Semi-formal dress for tonight then?" she asked after a moment, and Nick nodded in reply before motioning for her to sit up, which she did after a minor grunt of annoyance.

"That's going to be the best option," Nick said as he made his way to the master bedroom, and their wardrobe. Opening the door, a vast array of clothing options were on display, but Nick moved and picked out two conservative black suits for Judy and him.

Although of a modern style, there was more to these suits than meets the eye. They were lined with carbon nanotube and Kevlar armor layers, and should resist whatever firepower Savage and Winters would be packing. They couldn't do anything to protect their heads without giving themselves away, but most ZPD training involved aiming for the body's center mass, so the suits should be enough.

The pair quickly changed into their formal attire, and spent several minutes making sure that all the concealed plates and fabrics were in place. These suits cost a small fortune, but were also completely legal, and were mainly used by business moguls who needed discreet protection. Even Mr. Big himself made use of them from time to time, although for a mammal his size, the kinetic impact of _any_ bullet would almost certainly be lethal.

That was what Koslov was for after all.

Once they were satisfied, they made their way out of the penthouse, this time using the normal entrance.

After all, they wanted the ZPD to know where they were going.

* * *

"Got them!" Skye said, as she spotted the two hitmammals leaving the casino. Although she and Jack had officially been suspended, they login accounts still gave them access to the surveillance and traffic cameras around the city. The two had been glued to their laptop screens since they had left the precinct and headed home to prepare.

"Any idea where they're going?" Jack asked as he looked up from his own laptop. His injuries were still painful, but they had receded to a dull ache, and didn't impede him any longer.

Skye shook her head in reply, "I can't be sure just yet. They're heading out of Tundratown, and if I had to guess, I'd say they're going to Sahara Square."

Jack looked over to the map of Zootopia that the pair had hung when they had first started tracking the two assassins. Mr. Big's enterprises extended to every district in the city, and there were several possible destinations where Wilde and Hopps could be heading. The very fact that they had seen the pair leave probably meant that they were not heading out on a hit, but were just engaging in personal business or recreation.

They followed the two of them on the cameras as they made their way downtown, where they stopped in front of an Italian restaurant and made their way inside.

"They're eating again?" Jack said in surprise. It had only been a few hours since the two had been at the sushi restaurant, but it would appear that the two would be having a late supper.

Skye looked over the surroundings and then pointed to an alley just across the street from the restaurant. "There, that's where we'll hide. Once they come out, we move in and attack." She looked over to her mate. "We move fast, and take them out before they have a chance to react."

Jack nodded, and then reached into the satchel, retrieving the pistols and holsters, already loaded with extra magazines. He passed one to Skye, while he donned the shoulder rig, and then drew the pistol to chamber a round. The metallic sound of the action quietly echoing in the room.

Sky repeated the procedure for her own equipment, and the pair shared a knowing glance at each other before moving together in an embrace, with Skye leaning down to share a passionate kiss with her mate. Even if they succeeded, the odds are that they would be headed to jail, and it could be decades before they saw each other again in the flesh, but this was the cost to save Zootopia, and although it was a heavy price, they would gladly pay it. They had taken a vow to protect the citizens of the city.

After a quiet moment, the two headed out after putting on light coats to conceal their weapons, quickly making the drive to the restaurant. After parking a block away, the two jogged over to the alley, and took up position behind a mid-sized dumpster. They didn't know how long their prey would remain in the restaurant, but it didn't matter.

"We're going to finish this tonight," Jack whispered to his mate, and he nodded in response, squeezing his shoulder affectionately before returning her attention to the restaurant's entrance.

* * *

Inside the restaurant, Judy and Nick were idly nibbling on a shared tiramisu. Their being at the restaurant had little to do with food, and it was more the location that was a necessary part of their plan. They had received a notification that Savage and Winters had arrived on scene a few minutes ago, and now they just needed to give the pair time to get in position.

The two hitmammals knew there were three possible ambush locations that could be used just outside the restaurant. The most obvious one was the alley across the street, and the pair had guessed that this would be the best avenue to use. They had parked their car strategically to partially block a direct line of sight and to provide cover during the initial confrontation if that was the chosen locale of the two barred ZPD officers.

The other two locations were less optimal, but had also been carefully prepared. The sidewalk sign announcing the daily specials just outside the door was made out of the same material as the trauma plates used in ballistic vests, and could be used for cover if the former ZPD officers chose to use the doorway of the adjacent building as a hiding place. In the other direction, a public mailbox had been surreptitiously moved earlier that day to provide cover if the two chose to hide in the small park next door.

If Jack and Skye chose that ambush location, things would become more complicated, as Nick and Judy needed to go through that park to proceed to the final location of their trap. They had to lure their attackers through the small copse of trees, which would also provide additional cover in order for their plan to work.

After several minutes, Judy looked up at her mate and a familiar smile spread across her face. "Are you ready to start the festivities, Nick?" she asked as she hopped down from her seat and started towards the entrance.

"Am I ready, Carrots? Yes, yes I am," he replied as he placed a generous amount of cash on the table to pay for their snack…as well as help cover the probable damage that was about to befall the poor business.

Nick stretched out his limbs, as he knew that both Judy and he would need to move fast once things started. There was a good chance that their suits would stop whatever firepower Jack and Skye had, but being mobile and _not_ getting hit at all was a much better alternative.

The two reached the door, and calmly exited the building. They needed for their surprise to appear real, so they acted as normally as they could, while at the same time scanning the exterior, looking for any sign of their attackers.

* * *

Across the street, Jack's ears stood up ramrod straight as the door to the restaurant opened. Both he and Skye started moving as soon as they saw their targets exit. The two drew their pistols and made to cross the street, crouching low, so as to conceal their approach behind the hitmammal's car.

They'd made it halfway across when they heard Hopps' voice cry out in alarm, "GUN!" and they saw the pair bolt to the left, abandoning their vehicle, and making a beeline for a nearby park.

Jack and Skye wasted no time, and fired off a rapid series of shots at the retreating pair. The two hitmammals moved in a chaotic pattern, juking from side to side randomly, and moving to interpose any object they could between themselves and their attackers.

Sky was sure that she hit Wilde at least once, having seen the other fox stumble and fall, only to roll to his feet in a fluid motion and continue running. Skye smiled as she heard a cry of pain from Judy, but the doe didn't stop her panicked dash, and the two made it out of effective range at a sprint.

Jack and Skye chased after the two, swapping out magazines as they ran. They wouldn't be able to shoot accurately at a run, but they did fire sporadically to hary their prey.

The two hitmammals weaved in and out of the trees, mindful of each other's location, and using the sound of their pursuers' footfalls, and occasional gunshots, to try and gage their distance from the pair. This was a chase, but it wasn't one that Nick and Judy wanted to escape from.

Judy winced in pain as she ran, a bullet having grazed her left ear during the initial volley. She couldn't tell how bad the damage was, but it felt like a minor wound and certainly wasn't going to slow her down. She stumbled slightly as she felt something strike her back like a clenched hoof, some of the wind knocked from her lungs as she fell forward.

Two strong paws grasped her, halting her descent, and lifting her into the air. Nick cradled his mate in his arms as he continued to sprint. Sparing a single glance down to wink one eye at her as they broke through to the other side of the park. They could see their destination only a pawful of strides away, and Nick leaned forward, sprinting as fast as he could towards the Spring Breeze Laundromat and Dry Cleaning, another one of Mr. Big's ' _legitimate'_ business ventures.

They had taken the time to prepare everything leading up to this moment, and Nick didn't pause in his stride when he reached the door, seeing puffs of mortar pepper the wall as Jack and Skye continued to fire on the two hitmammals. At the last moment, Nick leapt towards the glass door, curling his form protectively around Judy as he did so, and he smashed through the specially prepared safety glass, the door shattering into thousands of small fragments.

An alarm went off at the destruction of the door, but Nick paid it no heed as he rolled to his feet, releasing Judy as he did so. The two of them quickly ran to the rear of the facility, each one grabbing a black case from the front counter as they did before disappearing into a maze of conveyors, vats, and machines, all laden with a variety of garments. As she passed by a control panel, Judy flipped a switch, the conveyors coming to life, cycling the hanging garments in an endless pattern, while creating both a visual and auditory distraction. The lights were oddly bright in the back room, but this was all part of the plan.

"The trap is set; now all we need is our guests to arrive," Nick said with a smirk, as he and Judy opened the cases and put on the night vision goggles. His own night vision was very good, but they needed every advantage they could muster.

Judy's gaze swept over her mate, searching for any injuries. She knew that he had been hit at least once during their flight.

Nick paused when he noticed that he was the focus of Judy's attention, and he waved a paw dismissively.

"Don't worry, Hopps. The armor caught it." He said with as much confidence as he could muster, then motioned towards Judy's ear. "I'll be sore tomorrow, but unlike you, I'm not going to be making any new fashion statements with stylish piercings."

"Har, har, wiseguy." Judy said before self consciously reaching up to touch her injured ear. Nick was exaggerating, and she was relieved that it truly was just a graze; an angry but already scabbing line of red just running along the back of her ear.

The two hunkered down and waited. They knew it wouldn't be long, but the ball was in Jack and Skye's paws now.

* * *

"Damn it!" Jack cursed as he saw Wilde leap through the door of the dry cleaners.

"Would it be asking too much that the glass kills him?" Skye asked breathlessly as she sprinted alongside her partner.

Jack gave a short bark of laughter at the thought. "Karma's not that kind to us love. Let's finish this."

The two stopped when they reached the front door, each one taking up position on either side of it. They shared a glance before Jack spun into the building, his pistol held in a two pawed grip. Skye followed behind him, using her larger stature to keep Jack out of her line of fire. The two scanned the lobby, not seeing any sign of their quarry except for a small patch of blood halfway towards a doorway leading to the rear of the facility. They could hear the sound of machinery working back there, but were unable to make out many details from here.

Skye padded her way forward, scanning every corner and washing machine for any sign of the two hitmammals. When she reached the spot of blood she leaned over and sniffed it before moving on.

"Hopps has been hit," she whispered to her partner, glad to have at least inflicted some damage on the assassin. "Not much blood, but at least we've hurt them."

The two reached the doorway, and once again Jack took the lead, entering into what was obviously the dry-cleaning portion of the business. Garments were traveling along a series of overhead conveyors, creating a constant barrage of movement and noise. Jack scanned the room moving cautiously, focusing on the right side of the room, and trusting Skye to cover the left.

A flash of movement drew his attention, and he instinctively aimed and fired, seeing a spark erupt from where the round smashed into some kind of control console. He cursed quietly, and continued deeper into the facility.

"Do you see anything?" Skye asked, as she scanned her side of the room, trying to make out anything in the whirling mass of fabrics.

"Nothing." Jack replied succinctly. "Do you think they ran out the back?" he asked, but Skye had no chance to reply as suddenly all the lights went out, and the room was plunged into almost complete darkness.

Jack and Skye whirled around, trying to gauge both where each other was, as well as to prepare for what was obviously about to be an attack. They didn't have to wait long, as Jack felt someone strike his paws, coming from above and below his firearm, expertly hitting the pressure points in his wrist, disarming him in an instant. He had no time to react before an elbow thundered into his temple, and he stood there dazed for a minute before a foot drove into his midsection sending him crashing to the floor.

Skye was similarly disarmed, although her assailant settled for simply using a hip throw to drive her into the ground before a hind paw to her head left her reeling on the floor beside her mate.

The two were jolted back to reality when they were unceremoniously doused with frigid water, then some kind of powder that made both their eyes sting. The lights came back on, as a sudden commotion came from the front of the store. The sound of sirens filtered into Jack and Skye's ears as the realized that they were now covered in a soapy mass of detergent as the two struggled to rise.

They blinked, clearing their eyes to see the two hitmammals, calmly seated on one of the large industrial vats, both mammal's faces plastered with a knowing smirk. Their expression didn't change when the cries of "ZPD! Everybody put your hands up now!" came from the entrance way, and Jack saw Officers Wolford and Snarlov move in, their tranq guns aimed squarely on the two hitmammals, but both of them sharing confused glances when they saw Jack and Skye laying on the ground, drenched and covered with suds.

"Stripes, you better have a good explanation for this," Wolford said as he proceeded to zipcuff the two hitmammals.

"Those two tried to kill us!" Judy shrieked as she was placed in restraints. "Look at my ear, they shot me!"

Snarlov took one look at the wound, and then his gaze was drawn to the pistols laying a few feet away. Bending down, he recognized them as being standard issue ZPD .22's. He looked up at his partner in shock.

"You better radio this in to the chief," he said before grabbing another two sets of zipcuffs and moving towards his two _former_ colleagues.

* * *

Bogo arrived on scene shortly after the call was made, his temple once again throbbing with each beat of his heart. He already expected the worst, but what he didn't expect was to see the two suspended officers kneeling in a puddle covered in soap with their paws zipcuffed behind their backs.

His gaze traveled to the two hitmammals, who had once again managed to avoid their well-deserved fate. The two of them both had smiles on their muzzles, as they were questioned by officer Wolford, and Bogo was sorely tempted to finish off the two of them right then and there, but the arrival of a ZNN truck just prior to his made that an impossibility.

He had just reached where Jack and Skye were kneeling, the two of them hanging their heads in defeat. He was about to speak when he clearly heard Wilde's voice call out. "Yes officer, my mate and I would like to press charges."

* * *

Consciousness filtered back into Judy's mind as the PIXAR machine released her from its generated dreams. The doe took a moment to collect herself before sitting up and removing the helmet, looking over to where Nick was also waking.

"Well that was certainly different," Judy said once Nick removed his own helmet. The details of the event were becoming hazy, as they always did, but some moments still stood out in sharp contrast, as she reached out to grasp her left ear, where a phantom pain from the dream still remained.

Nick gave a small chuckle at Judy's reaction, as he yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "You know, for hitmammals, we had a very low body count," he said once he had recovered.

"That one was enough for me, Slick," Judy replied, shuddering slightly at her actions in the simulation. "I almost feel like we need to treat Jack and Skye to dinner or something just for experiencing that."

"It would be an excuse to see them again, and we should tell them about this place," Nick said as he hopped down from the recliner, offering a paw to Judy to help her down. "Then again, the two of them probably have enough wild adventures with the ZIA as is."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Wilde," a familiar voice called out from the adjacent booth. A pair of white furred paws, parted the curtain of their booth, and Nick and Judy both recognized the forms of Jack and Skye, the latter still rubbing the sleep from her eyes…and a thoroughly unimpressed expression on her muzzle.

Nick looked aghast between the PIXAR beds in their booth and then to the ones Jack and Skye had been using. "Wait! That was really you two?" he asked after a moment, a deep sense of regret filling him for what he and Judy had inadvertently inflicted on the pair.

Skye nodded her head in reply, before slipping down to the floor. "I think so…unless there's another fox and rabbit couple in here that wanted to see what it was like to be on the other side of the law." She motioned towards the PIXAR units with a paw before making her way over to stand with Jack. "I think the system recognized that our two scenarios were compatible, and kinda…melded the two together."

Judy looked horrified, and looked towards Jack, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Jack, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was really you, and the PIXAR just makes things so…different."

The buck laughed lightly, and made his way over to Judy, placing a paw on her shoulder. "Hey now, you couldn't know, and you acted exactly according to how you set up the scenario."

He stepped back and motioned to his striped visage, "See, no real harm." He paused briefly and thought back on the fading memories. "I did learn that I need to book a few more sessions with Latrans," he said before laughing at the experience.

Skye joined in and walked over to embrace her mate before looking Judy over from top to bottom. "Judy, I have to ask. Are you really that good, or was that the PIXAR?" She shook her head, and tried to grasp at the details of the fight. "Jack's no slouch at paw to paw, and you took him apart."

Nick gave a laugh and wrapped an arm around Judy before looking at Jack. "Sorry, Stripes, Winters, but that part was accurate. Hopps is just that good," he said as Judy sheepishly looked up at him. "She's the terror of Precinct One, and some officers have been known to call in sick if they're scheduled to spar with her."

The two couples laughed at the admission, and started to make their way out of the arcade. Skye lightly punched nick in the arm as they approached the door. "And we accept Judy's offer of dinner as a way of apologizing, Wilde," she said and pulled out her smartphone to make a note. "Does tonight work for you two? After all our shifts are over, of course?"

"That sounds nice, Skye," Judy said, after sharing a glance with Nick. "Where did you want to meet up?"

Skye smiled with an expression that was equally friendly and predatory, but there was pure amusement in her eyes when she spoke. "I just so happen to know a great sushi restaurant in Tundratown."

Jack and Skye continued out the door, the arctic fox looking back over her shoulder towards the slightly stunned pair of ZPD officers. "I'll send you the address in a few minutes. See you at sevenish."

The sound of laughter filtered in through the closing door, and Judy shook her head at the ZIA agents.

Nick gave a small chuckle at their recent events, and looked down at his mate. "If they both go for the omakase, we're going to be eating instant noodles for a month," he said, but there was no malice in his tone.

Judy gave herself a shake, before briefly checking the time on her phone, Judy motioned towards the door, passing by a pair of sheep waiting for their turn in the PIXAR. Reaching for her radio, Judy called in, "Dispatch, this is three two seven, Hopps and Wilde are 10-8.

"Roger that, three two seven," Clawhauser's voice replied after a moment.

"Come on, Nick, let's go and make the world a better place," Judy said as she made her way back to the cruiser.

"So, what do you think, Carrots?" Nick asked as he walked around to the passenger side of the cruiser. "Should we indulge our darker fantasies again tomorrow?"

Judy considered if for a moment, and then shrugged in reply. "That depends on how much the bill for tonight's going to be, but no, I think something different is in order," she said as she started the car. "We've been back in time, but I think we should look forward a bit."

Nick looked at her quizzically, "Oh, what are you thinking?"

"You'll just have to wait until tomorrow," Judy said as she pulled into traffic, and they once again returned to trying to keep Zootopia safe.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> And so the Hitmammal arc comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed the story, and that you'll continue to be enthralled by the other arcs that are included in this project. There are so many amazing writers who are contributing to this series, and it has truly been an honor to be counted among their numbers.
> 
> One additional note that came up as part of chapter 4. I had a reader ask what a zygomatic arch was, and I realized that it wasn't included in the end notes, so here's a brief explanation. The zygomatic arch is sometimes called the cheek bone. If you feel just under your eye, and follow the bone that's located there all the way back to the temple. That's the zygomatic arch. As the name implies, it forms an arch structure, due to several of the jaw muscles, anchoring to the skull beneath it.
> 
> In the fight, Jack twisted his head to avoid taking a knee directly on his muzzle, but the blow broke this rather thin bone. In a fight, it would be painful, but nowhere near debilitating.
> 
> I'll close things off here by once again mentioning my main story, Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, which is available on FanFiction and AO3. As I mentioned in the first chapter of Hitmammals, it's a medical drama/tragedy set at a maternity clinic, specializing in interspecies couples and the hybrids that can result from their unions. Unfortunately, genetics is not kind, and all too often these couplings bring with them only sorrow. This is a story about the mammals who dedicate their lives to trying to help these mammals bring new life into the world...and to console them when they are all too often unable to do so.
> 
> It's not a happy story, but it is a realistic take on what would be a very real issue in Zootopian society. Be sure to read the endnotes where I have a chance to really dig into the underlying science, and also give some insight into the kinds of research that's being done in present times.
> 
> A final thank you to Cimar and the other authors who are working to put together the What If series, and I look forward to reading the forthcoming chapters.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> eng050599


	8. Nicole and Julius Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone,
> 
> Today, I'm pleased to present a special project that I've been working with Steve Gallacci on. This is from a later chapter in the story to date (13 to be exact), so if you haven't had a chance to read it yet, I strongly encourage you to give it a look.
> 
> I won't take too much time here, but I am truly grateful for this opportunity.  
> *********************  
> Originally created as a rule 63 dodge for some relatively harmless rule 34 art work abuse of our favorite characters, it quickly became an alternate straight retelling of the Zootopia story with twists and turns. Street-wise Nichole Wilde meets super ranger scout Julius Hopps in a less comedic/more police procedural version of the tale. Also includes an alternate version of Celeste, the little coyote girl.

"Oh My! Don’t you look lovely!" Celeste surveyed the damage her roommate presented, as the vixen dragged herself into their apartment. Nichole was just back from an advanced paw-to-paw combat session and looked like she'd gotten the rather worst of it.

"And I can't even say 'you should have seen the other guy'." Nichole tried to stretch and grimaced in the attempt. "I'm not sure I even laid a paw on her." She then tested her jaw, not sure if talking was a very good idea. Celeste could see swelling on her muzzle and various points on her face. "But there are some gaps in my memory, so who knows?"

"What?! Are you sure?" Celeste reacted in alarm. "You know that any unconsciousness could mean real injury."

"Just joking. I recall all too well the thoroughness of my beating and how ineffectual my defense was."

"I thought you were pretty good. For an old - ah - vixen of a fox."

Nichole gave the obstreperous coyote pup a rather withering glance. "It wasn't until I was done eating floor mats that someone happened to mention that she’s also an instructor FOR the trainers of the ZAF Special Forces."

She actually knew that and more. The sessions were part of a program to develop improved martial arts techniques for the widest range of species, and in the case of the ZPD, adapt military moves to less lethal civilian versions. Nichole and Julius were as much test subjects as students, as only more robust predators were in the system so far.

"Oh?" Then Celeste cocked her head. "Why the overkill? I mean it isn't like we're going to need super spy combat moves, are we?" The last said with a bit more apprehension than she might have intended.

"Well, who knows? And the ZPD basic paw-to-paw is...wella bit 'basic'. You know how good Bunny Boy is with his super bounce. Well, he got pretty much the same treatment as I did." Nichole rubbed various sore spots as she considered. "And even that wasn't until she showed us how limited even his best moves were,” she shook her head dejectedly at the memory. “We didn't have a clue."

"So? You going to train up?"

"Oh Glob, yes! True, nearly ninety-nine times out of a hundred our perps are just dumb thugs with some muscle and maybe some dumb TV 'kung-fu' moves or a little bare knuckle brawling behind them. But if we faced a really well trained martial arts type..." Nichole had heretofore felt a little cocky in her fighting prowess. Not like she was any kind of powerhouse or anything like that, but between the formal ZPD training, and her dirty street fighting experience, she thought she could handle most anything that came her way. True, a lot of it came down to dodge and scramble and sneaky shots, but winning wasn't measured in style points.

"For that matter, it wouldn't hurt you to get a bit of extra training in too."

At that Celeste cringed just a bit. She had her own bit of fighting wherewithal, but she was always a bit reticent to exercise it. Nichole saw that and sympathized. She wasn't keen on getting physical herself; talking a situation down was very much more her style and after a couple of decades of the street she was pretty good at it. But the big difference between them was that Nichole had been in real fights, some for her life by the time she was Celeste's age.

The young Coyote had never had anything more than a childhood shoving match before coming into the ZPD and so far had not had any major confrontations. And on one paw, many of the ZPD officers had gone their whole careers with little more than the occasional drunk and disorderly wrestling match for going paws-on with trouble. But others had needed those skills in what could have been life or death situations.

There were very few guns, actual firearms, out in the public, and so death or injury due to such weapons in the line of duty was exceedingly rare, even in such a vast population such as Zootopia's. But the memorial wall in each precinct was a terrible testament to the dangers of close contact, even knives were uncommon, but tooth, claw, or horn... That fact played on Nichole's concern for her young roomie.

* * *

The matter remained open for a little while. Nichole had another session. Less battered and more enthusiastic in her prospects for being something other than a punching bag.

"So, learning to fight back?" Celeste observed Nichole's relative lack of damage.

"More a matter of training drills rather than all that sparring. There's some other ZPD troops that have been in the program for a while who can play instructor for us greenhorns." Nichole still fretted a bit over the Coyote. "Ya know, there is an advanced training program starting in the ZPD. A couple of the more experienced officers come back and pass on what they've learned to those who want it." At least those aspects cleared for wider use. Though not exactly a secret weapon, it wouldn't do to tip one's hand to the full range of tricks.

Celeste cocked her head at that. "Yeah. Allen has been talking about doing that. The Fourth doesn't have anyone qualified yet, but you're going to the source to max out." Allen being her boyfriend Wolf and officer in the First.

"Only the best for the best." But her jest faltered. "Julius and I are, as you know, trouble magnets, so we really need all the advanced training we can get."

Along with being smaller than average cops, which meant that unruly types might take a chance and get physical, there was still the lingering poisonous fall-out of the predator/prey thing. Julius was still too many the source and embodiment of anti-pred sentiment, and Nichole his order traitor accomplice.

Celeste could never help but smile whenever Nichole mentioned her 'Bunny Boy', but also knew how defensive she could get. "Uhm, I know you said you're feeling more confident for Julius' safety 'on the mean streets' and all that. But I take it, post 'that thing'..."

"Yeah, that too." Early on, Nichole had a concealed carry handgun, determined that the city would not take her Bunny Boy too easily. After the lost gun scare while visiting Bunnyburrow, she gave it up as being too risky for those around her.

"But being better able to deal with close in attack in general is a big part of it too. Being too close and too quick to get at a weapon. And he needs a better edge in special circumstances. I still can't figure how a burrower doesn't have better low light vision."

Celeste refrained from providing a needlessly pedantic explanation for that, though they exchanged a knowing look back and forth.

"So, when are you going to give it a go?"

Celeste growled, but then shrugged. "I'll try it, but I don't think I'll like it."

* * *

The logistics of a rendezvous meant it was more practical for the two to meet at the training site. It was in an otherwise nondescript office building, with only the cryptic letters 'AMCQC' to announce it. Celeste got there first and was waiting outside for Nichole to show up. She was in her simple civvies, baggy jeans and slightly over-size t-shirt. A big cat in sweats noticed her as he headed in. "Waiting for your folks, kit?"

Celeste suppressed a growl of annoyance, but reflexively flipped out her badge. "Whitefoot, ZPD patrolmammal." she glumly announced, not bothering to pay him any further mind. Being mistaken for a half-grown cub had gone beyond annoying to simply an unhappy routine. She didn't even bother to flash her credentials most of the time, but as he was likely another ZPD officer, it couldn't hurt to introduce herself.

"Oh Cheese! Sorry 'bout that." The Leopard apologized and collected himself. "You must be Wilde's roomie. She said you were coming tonight."

He rubbed the back of his head in lingering consternation, "She said you were a 'yote, but from her description, I was expecting someone more like Carol."

"Carol?"

"Yeah, our instructor." He glanced around for any sign of Nichole. "If you want, you can come inside and get a jump on meeting everyone." 

Considering it'd be some time before Nichole showed, Celeste was persistently early for everything while the Fox was pretty much the opposite, "Sure. I'm Celeste, out of the Fourth."

"Bobby. Bobby Johnson, from the First, but third shift."

That would explain not having heard of him, as both Nichole and her Yummy Puppy were constantly going on about their shift mates.

They went inside, Bobby using a RF pass card to the little anteroom, pass card again, then down a hall pointed out to the changing rooms and all that, then one more secure door to the main space. Big and bright and not crowded, maybe a dozen beasts, though all pretty big species. As Nichole and Julius seemed to be holding their own here, Celeste was impressed.

But the one thing that immediately caught her eye was the other Coyote.

Celeste had grown up in various communities in which coyotes were all but unknown, and even in Zootopia they were rather uncommon, and were often considered aloof loaners. As such, she had the habit of trying to make some kind of social contact with any she met. Unfortunately, early on, with her weak social skills, it often ended up in an awkward sense of desperation, as though the other was a long lost relative and she was all but pleading for recognition. Or at least that's how she felt more often as not in retrospect.

But today, she was going to be cool. She was Officer Whitefoot, pride of the ZPD, and was going to just go up and introduce herself. And not fawn and beg like a supplicating pup, no desperate tail wiggle, none of that!

But not quite yet. She was busy giving instruction to a pair of sparring beasts. Then some words of encouragement to some others doing drills. Yeap, Celeste could wait a few more minutes, and, oh shit. She had been spotted. The handsome she-coyote gave a little smile and sauntered over. Average height for a coyote, or head and shoulders taller than her, well groomed and a perfect balance of fit and feminine. Everything she wasn't.

"You must be Officer Whitefoot?" As she gave Celeste a quick once over look. "Carol Latrans, mistress of torture here," she said in a jovial tone, waving at all the exertion in the background. “Wilde warned me you'd be by to give us a try."

"Uhm, er, yeah. Celeste. Uhm, Wilde said she'd meet me here. Yeah." So much for keeping her poise. And she nervously glanced around. Where was that damn fox?

Carol regarded the slight coyote before her. Yes, she was as small as Nichole and Julius had mentioned, but there was something about her, an unusual uncertainty that seemed at odds for an officer, or an adult coyote for that matter.

"Before we begin, can you tell me something about yourself?" She beckoned the girl back towards the changing rooms. Maybe that would explain some things. And make for an informal background check. The brass were beginning to mutter about formal security clearances as the program was approaching secret weapon levels of advanced skills. The ZPD side wasn't yet seeing the full extent, but Carol was loath to give any of her students anything but the full repertoire of tools for their jobs. Once they came under her tutelage, in her mind, she was responsible for their safety, both in the salle, and out on the streets.

The younger Coyote seemed to relax with a subject to focus on. "Well, I was raised by my Uncle, who came out of the Territories. Don't know anything about my parents, other than they died very early on, I guess. He's a gypsy mechanic, so we never stayed anywhere for very long. More or less home-schooled me. Taught me to be a pretty good mechanic in my own right. And some basic self-defense takedowns,” she paused, and gave an uncertain glance towards the other coyote. “Mostly stuff that wouldn’t be considered ‘fighting fair’, and he placed a lot of emphasis on making sure to break just enough bones that they weren’t getting up any time soon."

Carol smiled at the younger canines admission, and she nodded her head approvingly. “I think your uncle was my kind of mammal. If it works, it’s not cheating in a real fight,” she waved a paw dismissively towards the exit of the building. “Leave that kind of stuff for the sport martial arts, and Hollywood in general.”

She paused, and looked back at Celeste. The more personal aspects of her upbringing were several levels of interesting. As an Army brat herself, Carol could sympathize with the rootlessness. But no other kin? Even among the more insular coyotes, there was always a family around. Not as large an extended family as wolf packs tended to be, but still, "So, what got you into law enforcement?", she asked, trying to gently glean any details about her new student. 

Celeste smiled warmly with that. "I was working in Bunnyburrow back when Julius...I mean Officer Hopps became the hero savior of Zootopia. Actually knew his family. Being a mechanic is all well and good, but his 'make the world a better place' really struck me." She then looked around at the sparring students. "I thought more about the helping folks part..." She sighed, then continued. "Then, amazingly, I got Nichole as my roommate at the academy."

"I'm stationed over at Precinct Four, partnered with a Puma, Jefferson. He's an old pro, knows the city inside and out, but he came out of the Territories too, originally, so we can use the Old Tongue between us."

The older coyote had a small chuckle at that comment. “Yá'át'ééh ałní'íní,” she said after a moment. “Nizhónígo ałhééhosiilzįįd...and that about exhausts my memory of the Old Tongue.”

Celeste laughed at the admission, and refrained from any critique on Carol’s accuracy...being somewhat unsure of the authenticity of her own use of the archaic language. Pausing momentarily to consider the shared cultural touchstone, she found herself curious as to the background of the instructor. That she was former military was unquestioned, but what that implied for family and friends, Celeste had no clue.

Carol had watched Celeste change out of her street clothes and noted the almost pre-pubescent build, just a straight stick of a girl, and skinny, but there was a wiry cord of muscle under her pelt. She made a mental note to ask about any history of malnutrition or hormone imbalances...dating a doctor had rubbed off on her in more ways than one. Poor girl, her summer coat was of the sadly stereotypical scruffy sort. Celeste noticed her appraising look, and shrugged indifferently.

"Yeah, I look awfully scruff now, but I really fluff out in winter. My Uncle looks almost like he has mange in summer but fills out even more."

The older coyote chuckled at the admission, “I have two words for you, Whitefoot: Spa Day...and don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” she said while shaking her head at Celeste’s expression. “Five years ago, you wouldn’t have caught me somewhere like that, but I got dragged out to one by some friends, and I learned a valuable lesson that day. Sometimes being pampered is just fine.”

It was then that Carol noticed something else. "Can I see your paws?"

"Oh? Sure." And held out her paws. "I've done a lot of machine shop work too, with the scars to prove it." And there were any number of scars and burn marks; one scar suggested a digit nearly split down the middle. She had only seven claws.

Flexing her own paws for example, Carol asked, "Do you have full mobility?"

"Oh, sure." And she playfully wiggled her paws at the elder Coyote.

"Okay." Carol caught one paw and did a little push and pull and Celeste was able to credibly resist. She then squeezed, just a bit. Celeste gave her a wary look but answered with a bit more pressure. And Carol bore down a bit more, and got similar in return. 

"Uhm, I've got machinist's fingers, if you want to go there." Celeste warned. To which Carol surrendered. She'd discovered that there were professions that made for deceptively crazy-strong paws. The worst was an art student who had been stretching his own silk screens for a couple years.

"Okay, let’s go out and meet everyone. Then the fun begins,” Carol said as she escorted her newest student back into the training salle, holding the door open for the smaller coyote. “Wilde and Hopps will be joining us in a bit, but for now, you’re all mine.”

Celeste, stopped momentarily when she walked through the door, and looked on apprehensively as she noticed that the other ZPD students had all ceased their own training, and were instead lining the walls of the training room; their gazes fixed on the two coyotes.

The quiet sound of laughter from behind her caused her to turn around and face Carol as the trainer closed the door behind her.

“Don’t mind them, Whitefoot,” she said with an impish grin on her muzzle. “Today, you’re going to be the focus of everyone’s attention. If all goes well,” she motioned towards the impromptu audience, “they’ll be your future training partners, and learning your style is as much a part of their training as the actual sparring.”

Looking to her students, Carol motioned towards the younger coyote, “Everyone this is Patrolmammal Celeste Whitefoot out of Precinct Four.” Looking back at her newest student, a smile spread across the instructor’s muzzle as she motioned for her student to head into the middle of the salle. “Most of the ZPD here are from Precinct One, but we do get the occasional mammal who’s recommended for training. Wilde spoke highly of you, so welcome aboard...provided that you can convince me that you deserve it, of course.”

The older coyote cracked her knuckles theatrically, and moved to the center of the room, “Now onto the first tradition of AMCQC. This is where I get to see just what you can do, officer. The rules are simple. Give it your all, anything goes, and we don’t stop until I say so. Understand?”

Celeste nodded apprehensively, and took up a loose stance opposite the trainer. Even though she had been trained in paw to paw combat, both informally from her uncle, and formally at the academy, it wasn’t something that she particularly looked forward to. The rational part of her mind knew that this was part and parcel of being a ZPD officer, but given the choice, she would always prefer to get out of a situation without resorting to violence.“That’s not going to be an option today,” she thought to herself as she settled into place just outside of where she judged the older coyotes range would be....she was wrong.

Carol’s expression never changed, but between one moment and the next, she suddenly exploded into motion, her speed taking the younger coyote by surprise. She slid along the floor on her left hind paw, the right lashing out in a side kick aimed squarely at Celeste’s abdomen. Celeste barely managed to cross her arms in front of her to take the blow on braced forearms, but the strength of the kick sent her skidding backwards, and she was forced to scramble to maintain her balance until her claws found purchase.

Knowing instinctively that her opponent would try to press her advantage, Celeste lashed out with a quick left jab before she had managed to fully regain her footing, trying to catch the trainer before she could close the distance. Carol slapped the blow aside and followed up with a quick jab cross combination that the other coyote just barely managed to deflect.

The fight’s momentum was completely under control of the more experienced fighter, and Celeste backpedaled, trying to create space. She attempted to strike the other coyote’s leading leg with a quick roundhouse kick, only for Carol to once again close the distance, jamming Celeste’s leg, and robbing the kick of any power.

Before Celeste could lower her leg, the other coyote wrapped her own left leg around Celeste’s, leveraging the joint with her knee and forcing the younger coyote down almost to the floor. The maneuver threw Celeste off balance, and while her arms instinctive spread out to try and steady herself, the instructor struck out with an open palmed uppercut to her jaw.The blow caused Celeste to fall backwards, and the older coyote took the opportunity to release Celeste’s leg and spring backwards where she simply stood and waited for the officer to recover.

Celeste shook her head to try and clear some of the stars that were dancing in her vision. The uppercut hadn’t been all that powerful, but it was enough so that her balance was somewhat unsteady as she hauled herself to her feet. Taking up a fighting stance once again.

Carol nodded approvingly at Celeste’s tenacity. “Good,” she said with a smile on her muzzle, “you’re not giving up. Right now, you’re not acting, you’re reacting. Take the initiative, Whitefoot. Don’t let your opponent control the fight.”Celeste gave her head a final shake, but the action was just a ruse, as she sprang forward, trying to use the older coyote’s own tactics against her. Her maneuvers were hesitant though, as she drew upon her academy training, and what little street fighting her uncle had imparted, but she wanted to impress the older coyote, and if that required being a little aggressive, so be it.

Carol’s expression never changed, as Celeste bore down on her, her paws lashing out in a rapid series of strikes. She alternated he blows high and low, trying to never come in from the same angle twice. At the academy, so much time was spent learning how to subdue a wide range of mammals, but very little of it was actual sparring with a trained opponent. Celeste was quickly learning what a difference that made.

Carol effortlessly weaved and dodged, only striking out on occasion to deflect a blow that she was unable to simply avoid. Celeste’s frustration began to build, and she redoubled her efforts. She closed the distance even further, transitioning into a series of elbow strikes, knees and kicks to her opponent’s legs. From her limited experience dealing with larger mammals, this was her best chance to jam up her larger opponents attacks, and as before, her hesitancy robbed her attacks of some of their speed.

The trainer’s paws lashed out, deflecting most of the attack, Celeste only managing to land a glancing blow to the trainer’s head for her efforts.

The effect on Carol was pronounced however, and she frowned before hopping backwards, creating some distance between the two. Celeste immediately pressed forward, as her paws once again struck out at her opponent.

This time however, Carol didn’t simply block the blow; her right paw snaked out so quickly that Celeste had barely registered the movement before she was being pulled off balance as the trainer caught her arm just behind the wrist. As soon as the younger coyote was thrown off balance, Carol reversed the direction of her pull, wrenching the arm backwards, the change in momentum caused the coyote to flip head over heels, and the air left her lungs in a rush as she crashed into the mats.

Before Celeste could recover, Carol quickly twisted and hyperextended the limb, painfully locking it into place in a textbook joint lock.

The older coyote leaned down and whispered into Celeste’s ears, “You’re faster than this. You’re stronger than this. You don’t hold back against me, and you don’t hold back out in the streets. Now. Show. Me. What. You’ve. Got!”

With that she released the limb, hopped backwards lightly on her paws.

Celeste gave her head a shake, as she fought to get her breathing under control as she rose to her feet, slightly unsteady on her paws. “Okay, let’s try that again,” she mumbled to herself before launching forward, again trying to jam up the larger coyote’s strikes. She struck out as quickly as she could, sacrificing technique for for speed, as she rained open pawed strikes to the instructor’s head and chest. The few times she had been in a scuffle in her life, speed was her only true friend, and although she had only managed about a 50/50 split, sometimes just being fast was enough to break through a mammal’s defense.

Carol smoothly transitioned into a more closed stance, taking the hits on braced forearms and striking out with lightning quick elbows and knees whenever Celeste offered her an opening. The younger coyote did what she could to block or deflect these, but whenever she lessened her attack, the instructor was quick to pounce on the opening, and unlike Celeste, Carol’s technique did not need to be sacrificed in the name of speed.

The older coyote pushed the young officer hard, battering away at her defenses, while easily dodging or deflecting her attacks. Celeste did manage to land a few good hits of her own, but she was only giving one for every ten that Carol managed. It felt like an eternity as they traded blows, and Celeste was panting heavily as the minutes dragged on. Her frustration was building, as it was increasingly obvious that the Carol was doing little more than playing with her. Her mind struggled to remember her training, as her instinct to fall back on the rote combinations which made up much of her training at the academy was repeatedly punished by the trainer, who was intimately familiar with the kind of training that ZPD officers went through. The constant testing, prodding, and punishing her when her defenses weren’t up to snuff caused the first inklings on anger to cloud here thoughts.

The trickle of adrenaline that had been singing in her blood from the start of the match became a deluge, and her instincts warred with each other. The desire to break contact and escape was certainly there, but there was still a part of her that wanted to impress the older coyote.

 _“So fight it is!”_ a small voice cried out from the recesses of her mind, as she pushed forward once again.

Her stance took on a more aggressive tone, and she pushed herself to penetrate the trainer’s defenses using force of will if not technique. In the back of her mind, she registered the other coyote’s earlier words, and strove to take the initiative in the fight. Her paws struck out a staccato rhythm as she lashed out with a series of open palm, and knife-paw strikes, all the while, she tried to trip Carol’s legs up with fast front kicks to the shin and knees. She was pushing the boundaries of her limited training, but the loss of control could end up in her favor, as it added unpredictability to her actions...at least, she hoped it did.

Carol’s expression never changed, and her own paws and legs moved in clipped, precise blocks and counters. Any attack that she wasn’t able to simply dodge, was rebuffed, and Celeste took a strong hook to her ribs when she missed a block. Part of her knew that Carol was pulling her blows, but each one that landed felt like she was hit by a battering ram. It wasn’t just that the older coyote was strong for her size, so was she after all, but Carol also knew where to hit to inflict the maximum amount of pain...and from the bruises that she could already feel forming under her fur, she was very good at it.

Seeing an opening, a quick knee took the instructor in the abdomen, but Carol rolled with the blow, and the more experienced fighter just accepted the it with a quick exhalation of breath to help tighten the abdominal muscles. In return, she hammered her own elbow onto Celeste’s thigh before she could lower the limb. The blow caused the officer’s leg to go numb from the knee down, and the smaller coyote stumbled when the limb refused to accept any weight on it.

The trainer was not idle during this bout of weakness, and stepped in, Carol’s left leg hooking around her remaining good leg, while her paws took hold of Celeste’s training shirt, and effortlessly threw the coyote in a textbook hip throw. She didn’t release her student, however and rode down with her until they were both on the mats, Carol astride Celeste’s back.

Celeste had no time to react before she felt Carol’s legs wrap around her midsection, while the trainers left forearm tried to snake around her throat. Although still dazed from the impact of the throw, Celeste still had the good sense to snap a paw up to grasp onto the trainer’s wrist before she would secure the choke hold.

Celeste tried to arch her back and drive her head into her opponent’s muzzle, but the size difference between the two of them just resulted in her striking Carol’s upper chest. This had been the hardest part of the academy training for her, as he small stature meant that grappling was a contest she was almost sure to lose. It didn’t look like Carol was going to let her off easy though, so Celeste tried to use what little experience she had to shake off the trainer. When she hunched forward again, she made to roll onto her side, or even better, reposition things so that Carol was the one on the bottom, but the older coyote only allowed her to roll the pair of them onto her side before she braced her body to prevent any further movement.

Carol was not idle during this time, and when she halted the rolling motion, she struck out with her free elbow, driving it into Celeste’s midsection. Once again, the air rushed out of the younger mammals lungs, and Celeste lost her grip on Carol’s arm, which locked into position around the smaller canines throat like a vice.

Celeste couldn’t breath, and her paws scrambled and clawed at the trainer’s arm, but the limb was like iron. She began thrashing around, trying to create an opening where she could wiggle free and create some space, and her heart began pounding in her chest as panic began to set in. Her claws raked through Carol’s fur, but couldn’t find purchase on the wiry corded muscles concealed under the thick coat.

“Use the pressure points!” A familiar voice cut through her panic, as Celeste recognized Nicole’s tone.

Her vision was starting to dim, but she managed to process the information, and rather than a panicked scrabbling, she tried to dig her claws into where she dimly remembered the control points present on the forearm and wrist. In her panicked scrabblings she desperately tried to find those pressure points that were gradually fading away, along with her overall consciousness. Just as she could feel herself slipping away, there was a yelp of pain from behind her, and the pressure released from her throat. She took a gasping breath, but was unable to do much else.

Fortunately, she didn’t need to. Carol fully released her student, and moved her into a recovery position. Gone was the almost growling threats from earlier, and instead the trainer’s words were almost gentle.

“That’s it, Whitefoot,” She said as she checked over Celeste’s vitals. She was fairly certain that her student hadn’t quite lost consciousness, but she had purposefully taken her past the point where she would normally release that hold. “Deep slow breaths.”

Celeste’s ears were pinned back as she fought, not only to breath, but to not growl at Carol. _“What the fuck was that?”_ She thought as her breaths became less labored.

There was a round of chuckles from around the salle, as her fellow officers recognized her expression...and her anger. Each of them had been through this trial by fire, but it did little to calm down the coyote’s anger. She rolled over and saw that Nicole and Julius had arrived at some point, and were looking over at the coyote with knowing glances, Nicole even going so far as to offer a surreptitious thumbs up and wink at her performance.

When her breathing began to slow, she looked back at Carol, and was surprised to see her smiling warmly, seemingly incongruous compared to her almost hungry expression when they were sparring. It was obvious that the instructor genuinely enjoyed the bout, as uneven as it had been. Carol, seeing that her charge was on the mend hopped back up onto her feet, and offered Celeste a helping paw up.

Somewhat confused, and still more than a little angry, she gingerly accepted the paw, her nose twitching as she detected the metallic scent of blood on the air.

When she looked at Carol’s left arm, she found the source of the smell. Blotches of red marred the older trainer’s forearm, and Celeste’s eyes widened when she saw the injury that her near panicked scratching had inflicted.

Carol cocked her head to the side, as she took in Celeste’s expression. She glanced down towards her own arm, and her eyebrows arched as she noticed the minor wounds. With a snort of amusement, Carol hauled the younger officer to her feet and nodded her head approvingly at her new student.

“Don’t sweat it, Whitefoot,” she said as she released Celeste’s paw while motioning towards the shallow scrapes dismissively. “This is exactly what I want to see from you.”Celeste breathed a small sigh of relief, while still mentally chastising herself for losing control. To her surprise, a very real smile formed on the older coyotes muzzle as she once again looked Celeste over from top to bottom. The adrenaline was starting to wane, and Celeste hoped that she was able to keep the inevitable shakes from being too obvious.

If Carol noticed her apprehension, she gave no outward sign, and merely started circling around the younger coyote before nodding her head approvingly. “You’ve got good instincts, and that’s something that is a straight up bitch to teach, so you’re already one up in my book.” she said, with no small bit of relief in her voice...something that genuinely surprised Celeste who had been mentally dreading how her performance would be judged. “When it came down to it, you didn’t give in, and that what I want to see from all of my students.” The trainer gave a small chuckle as she considered how to proceed. Once again motioning towards the wounds on her forearm, the grin never left her muzzle as she continued her observations, “You don’t enjoy this type of training, do you, Whitefoot?” she asked after a moment, and Celeste was taken aback by the question.“What do you mean?” Celeste asked as she tried to parse out Carol’s intentions.

The trainer shook her head and once again, an amused smile formed on her face. “The mammals that come to me generally fall into four groups,” she said as counting them off on her digits. “Those that enjoy the challenge,” she motioned towards where a pair of wolves were idly watching the pair. When they noticed that they were suddenly the focus of everyone’s attention, the two shrugged but gave no further reply.Looking back towards Celeste, Carol gave he a knowing wink, “That’s where I usually fit in by the way. Then there are those who want to see how they rank against their peers,” this time the trainer’s gaze fixated onto Julius, and once again a knowing smirk crossed her face, as the rabbit suddenly became very interested in the floor of the salle, much to the amusement of his comrades. Nicole took the opportunity to ruffle the fur on his head, and act that succeeded in both causing another round of laughter to be heard through the salle, and also causing the buck to seemingly shrink even further under the relentless gaze.

Carol shook her head at the display, but continued on, “Those that actually like hurting other mammals,” she paused there, and her expression became more serious. “You won’t find any of those here. They get shown the door very quickly.” The trainers expression darkened slightly as she obviously recalled such mammals from her own past. “In the ZAF, mammals like that have their place, but not in the ZPD. At least not as long as I’m in a position to stop it.”She gave herself a quick shake to drive those thoughts away, and another smile spread across her visage, “and then there are mammals like you. You want to help, and it’s my job to make sure that you’re prepared to do just that.”

With that Carol shrugged, and motioned towards Celeste, “So, how would you rank your performance today?”

Celeste was somewhat taken aback by the question, having expected the instructor to be the one to offer the critique of their match. “Uhhh, not very good?” she said, her tone making it seem like more of a question than a statement of fact.

Carol laughed and shook her head at the young officer. “I think you can do better than that, Whitefoot.”

“What more do you want?” Celeste asked after a moment. “I’m pretty sure that, if you had doused me with some water before we started, you literally could have mopped the floor with me.” she said, and was only half joking, as she ran through the match in her mind.

It hadn’t even been close, and she knew it. Even when she had tried to take the initiative, it was obvious that the more experienced trainer had been in control. She didn’t know what more to say, and so she just shrugged.

Carol’s amused expression didn’t fade, and she called out over her shoulder, “Wolford, how would you rate Patrollmammal Whitefoot’s performance?”

One of the two wolves Carol had mentioned earlier stepped forward slightly, and he rubbed his grey muzzle absently as he looked Celeste over from ear tips to toes. “She’s got speed, I’ll give her that,” he said after a moment. “Once you started really pushing her, she first fell back on the standard drills, but she was quick to adapt when you showed her how going for rote is a bad idea.”

There was another round of laughter from the assembled mammals, but Wolford maintained a contemplative look. “From what I saw, her main issue is just lack of experience.” The older wolf shrugged dismissively, “She was holding back right from the get go...and really that didn’t change until she started getting mad. Either way, her technique will get better over time, and she’s got a better foundation than a lot of mammals who make it through the academy.”

Carol nodded approvingly at her other students, and Celeste felt her face redden under her fur at being the focus of attention. Given her own thoughts regarding the bout, she had fully expected nothing more than condemnation and scorn. The thought of being the recipient of even marginal acceptance, let alone actual praise was a complete surprise.

Looking around the room, she noticed that the assembled mammals all wore similar expressions...well except for Nicole, who’s expression seemed to blur the lines between pride, and feigned disinterest. “The rest of them,” she thought to herself before the implications sank in. “they see one of them, not some lost cub.” Even Bobby, who not thirty minutes earlier has mistaken her for some scrawny adolescent waiting for her ride, was now appraising her seriously.

It wasn’t a conscious act on her part, but Celeste’s tail started wagging of its own volition. The movement was subdued, but Carol must have seen the change in her expression and body language, and the trainer shook her head with a snort of laughter. “Surprised?” she said after a moment. “This is just the beginning for you, Whitefoot, and unlike some other mammals who have graced these hallowed halls, overconfidence was not a personality trait you exhibit.”

That last comment was accompanied by a sidelong glance towards where Nicole and Julius were taking in the scene. Nicole made a show of examining her claws, and not responding Carol’s barb, but the amused expression on Julius’ muzzle made it plain that everyone knew that it was all just an act, and that the vixen remembered quite clearly the bruises that had been the result of her first training session.

Carol gestured with one paw towards Celeste, “Getting into a real fight isn’t something that any mammal should really want to do,” the trainer stopped for a moment, before raising a single digit to correct herself, “Ex’s; that’s the one exception. At times, under the right circumstances, then it’s okay to enjoy being in a fight.”

The older coyote began walking in a circle around Celeste, “So, all that leaves me with is the question of, do I admit you into the program?”

Although Carol’s voice was deadly serious, there was no mistaking the glimmer in her eyes. She only attempted to keep the charade going for a few moments before she nodded towards the younger coyote.“If you want in, you’re in.” Se said succinctly as she wandered over to the side of the training salle, and picked up a nondescript RFID card from atop a small pile of towels.

Turning back towards Celeste, Carol held up the card before offering it to the patrollmammal. “What’s it gonna be, Whitefoot?” she asked, and her gaze fixed on Celeste’s eyes and held them there. Even with millions of years of evolution, that simple act still triggered an innate response in many canine species.

Celeste met the instructors gaze with only a small bit of hesitation. _“She’s still testing me,”_ she thought to herself as she nodded and reached out to take the keycard. A broader smile spread across the trainer’s muzzle as she once again saw the glimmer of steel in the younger coyote.

Mentally, Carol was checking off an imaginary list consisting of the traits who would take well to her style of teaching.“She’s fast, she’s got some skill already, and she’s willing to learn,” she mused internally as handed over the card, while the smile on her muzzle spread just that little bit too broad to be entirely friendly.

“Now that we have that out of the way, I can actually start teaching you,” Carol said as she motioned for Celeste to join her at the front of the salle. Turning around, Carol motioned towards the still visible spots of blood on her forearm, “As can be seen here, here, and here, you were way off on where you should be striking.”Looking back towards the rest of her students, “Okay mammals let’s get to it! Active takedowns, pressure points and submission holds. Start with rear wrist locks, and transition into an arm bar. Work with your current partner, but we’ll be switching up throughout the rest of the session.”

Looking over to a large female tigress who was partnered up with Bobby, and then over to where Julius and Wilde were getting set up. Carol continued, “Fangmeyer, Hopps, you two are going to be busy ones this evening. Being the largest and smallest mammals currently here, I want to see everyone work with a range of partners, both on ofence and on defense. If I catch any of you not giving this your all, the next partner you’re getting paired up with is me!”With that final declaration, Carol stretched her neck in a circle as she gave her limbs a shake, before motioning for Celeste to attempt to take her down.

Even given the seriousness of the training, Celeste couldn’t help but smile as the other mammals around her began their own drills. For once, she wasn’t being given odd looks by strangers, didn’t feel like she was intruding on some private club. “It only a start,” she thought to herself, as she tried to work out the best way to get her opponent into the joint lock and then take her to the mats. “but sometimes that’s all that’s needed.”

That final thought flitted across her consciousness, before her focus narrowed down to encompass only the other coyote. Trying to take a page from the instructor’s manual, she didn’t give any outward sign of aggression. Between one heartbeat and the next, she simply moved.

* * *

Her choice of strategy was admirable, but enthusiasm does not tend to equal success outside of fiction. The rest of the session, hadn’t involved anything quite as bruising as, what Julius had dubbed ‘the initiation match’, but it had still been a learning experience.

What had really surprised her was just how important this kind of training could be. Having rotated through most of the other ZPD officers, she began to notice how, even techniques that were taught by rote at the academy had multiple variations depending on your opponent’s size and species.

When partnered up against Bobby or Nadine Fangmeyer, strikes from her small frame were utterly useless unless she managed to hit precisely where a nerve bundle was, or was able to manipulate a joint to the point where it was hyperextended, and all that extra muscle counted for nothing.

Conversely, those same mammals could ignore most of her attacks, and instead work to maneuver her into a position where their strength could end the fight instantly.

Even for Julius, there were countless tweaks that had been applied to his preferred style, mainly focusing on controlling distance and attacking to unbalance as opposed to damage.

“And Spirits, can that bunny move!” she thought to herself as the class was preparing to wrap up.Carol made a brief but piercing whistle, attracting the attention of every mammal in the room...painfully so in the case of Julius, who gave his head a resigned shake when the sound subsided.

“Nice work everyone,” she called out once everyone’s attention was on her. “In the next few sessions, I’ve been asked to focus on some advanced knife techniques and defenses. As some of you know, there have been reports of a new gang operating out of the nocturnal district who have a taste for butterfly knives.” The trainer shook her head with disdain at the notion. “That’s somewhat lucky for you, as most of the mammals that use them tend to place show before skill, but they are still a threat, and it’s my job to make sure that you’re equipped to handle the situation.”She clapped her paws together, and motioned towards the door to the changerooms. “Get showered up, and the usual ‘debriefing’,” she used the universal sign for quotation marks to emphasize the final word, “will be at Mac’s, and the first round’s on me.”

Those final words were met with a round of applause from the assembled mammals, who started funneling out of the Salle and making their way to the changerooms. Celeste held back so that Nicole and Julius could catch up. As Nicole approached, the vixen made a show of looking Celeste over from ear tips to tail, before theatrically rolling her eyes. “Well now, it looks like there’s a new teacher’s pet,” Nicole said in a playful tone. Looking over to Julius, while motioning towards the Coyote with her right paw, she shook her head in mock disbelief. “Able to walk out of here on her own two feet after her first lesson! The scandal of it all.”Julius playfully elbowed his partner in the side while shaking his head at the fox’s theatrics. “Maybe if you had spent more of your first lesson focusing on Carol and less on making random quips, Slick, you might have avoided a few of those bruises.”

Nicole gave a chuff of annoyance at the rabbit’s comment, but the smile that crept across her muzzle belied the actual emotions involved. Returning her attention to the young coyote, Nicole once again considered the mammal in front of her.“So, now that you’ve tried your paw at it, what do you think?” the vixen asked, her eyes slipping into their normal half-lidded gaze.

Celeste shrugged in reply, “Uhh, I kinda got my tail handed to me.” She thought back over the evening’s session, and if it wasn’t clear at the time, it certainly was in hindsight that the trainer had been completely in control for the entire evening. The young coyote shook her head as she glanced over to where Carol was just tidying up the salle and about to head out. “She’s definitely one of the more intense trainers I’ve met,” she paused momentarily and even had a slight chuckle at her own comment. “Then again, there’s only about 5 mammals on that list, so it’s not exactly a comprehensive directory.”

The three mammals made to leave the salle, as she reached for the door, Celeste felt the first twinge of pain from her abused body. The adrenaline that had been singing in her veins during the training was finally starting to taper off, and she could tell that tomorrow she’d be feeling a little worse for wear.

Julius, made a brief gesture towards the male change room and nodded his head towards Nicole and Celeste. “Meet you two out front in a few minutes.”

“Sounds good,” Nicole added but then paused as she saw some confusion in Celeste’s expression. “Something wrong, pup.” her friend asked when she noticed the coyote’s discomfort.

Celeste shrank back slightly, and rubbed her arms together, both to soothe the abused muscles, but also as a subconscious support.

“Not sure I’m feeling like a night out, that all,” she said succinctly, and Wilde rolled her eyes at the younger officer. “This isn’t a night out, Whitefoot.” Nicole said after giving her companion a rather scathing look. “Mac’s is Precinct One’s preferred cop shop. It’s actually pretty good for what it is, and it’s a place where any mammal who sports a uniform can relax and feel safe.”

The vixen had a small laugh as she considered her own history with the Pub. “It’s actually kind of funny,” she said as she opened the door to the female change room. “Just a couple of years ago, you wouldn’t have caught me within ten blocks of that place. As you’ll see, probably about fifty percent of the patrons are ZPD...and the rest are either ZFD, EMT, ZAF, or Zootopia University students who made a wrong turn.”

Celeste raised an eyebrow at this morsel of news. She was aware that Nicole had a...unique life prior to joining the ZPD, and what little she did know made the reasons for her hesitation easy to guess.

Nicole could see that her roommate's expression was still uncertain, and the vixen reached out to place a paw on the younger canine’s shoulder. “Look, send your puppy an invite. He’ll have only been off shift for a half hour or so by now,”

The vixen stopped in front of her locker, and began peeling off her training sweats, as she looked back a Celeste, the knowing and ever-present smirk firmly in place across her muzzle. “And if I were a betting mammal, I’d place my money on him just waiting for you to give him a call.”

Celeste felt the skin on her face redden under her fur in response to the playful taunt from her roommate, but she couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of seeing Allen sooner rather than later. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask”, she thought to herself, as she retrieved her phone and fired off a quick text to her wolf.

_‘Training went...okay, I guess. The class is going to Mac’s for a debriefing. Want to join me <3!”_

She barely had a chance to put her phone down when she heard the electronic chime sound off. Taking a wild guess as to who the sender was, she laughed when she was Allen’s reply.

_“Sounds good to me! I’ll be about 30min...got stuck with paperwork at the precinct.”_

“Looks like Nicole was right,” she thought to herself as she took the opportunity to peel off her own workout clothing. She couldn’t help but cringe as she disrobed, and her sensitive nose was presented with ample evidence of her exertions, along with no small number of minor aches foretelling of the bruises that would greet her tomorrow morning.“Whew!”, she said as she shook her head to try and banish the odor, “Definitely time for a shower,” she called out to Nicole who was already on her way to the shower stalls at the back of the changeroom.

There was a quiet chuckle from behind her, and Celeste look to see that Carol, as well as Fangmeyer, and a female cheetah, Sue Pawmeyer, whom she had been introduced to during the drill rotation, had arrived.

With the exception of herself, all the ZPD officers were from Precinct One, and as she looked around the room, she could already see the comeradery that existed between the assorted mammals.

“That is the reward for working hard, Whitefoot,” Carol added while stripping off her own clothing, and motioning towards the showers with a free paw. “I keep a pretty broad range of supplies here, so just grab whatever you need.”

“Thanks! I didn’t think to...bring any today.” Celeste’s voice trailed off when she saw Carol remove her shirt, and instantly recognized the telltale signs of scar tissue hiding under the trainer’s fur. There was only one sizable mark, appearing on the older coyote’s left shoulder, but it was in stark contrast to her earlier observations regarding her appearance.Carol noticed the change in tone, and looked back towards her new student. Her head cocked to the side momentarily as she considered what had caused Celeste to trail off. When she noticed where the young ZPD officer’s attention was focused, she shook her head and laughed out loud, drawing the momentary attention of the other mammals in the room.

The smile remained fixed on her muzzle and she motioned towards the largest scar, which Celeste could now see was present on both her front and back.

“Word of advice, Whitefoot; don’t get shot...it really sucks,” she said while continuing to remove her training gear. “I was a ZAF Ranger for a few years before I was recruited for the AMCQC development team. Most of my time in the Rangers was doing long range reconnaissance. Small preds are the preferred mammals for the job, but it’s not a walk in the park.”

Celeste’s ears pinned back slightly embarrassed to have been staring at the old wound.

Carol waved a paw dismissively towards the younger female. “Don’t worry about it, and if you stick around, you might even get to hear the story that goes along with this little mommento.”

Sue poked her head around a row of lockers after hearing the trainer’s comment. “How long is that?” she asked, the amusement heavy on her tongue. “Nadine and I have been training with you for almost a year, but we never got the story.”

Carol laughed as she closed her locker, and made her way to one of the available shower stalls.

“Neither of you ever showed an interest, Pawmeyer,” Carol replied without pause.

Celeste looked away from Carol, and gazed down at her own paws. The scars were all there, some hidden by her fur, others plainly visible, and marring any sense of uniformity in her coat. She knew that they represented...well almost a lifetime’s worth of work, learning, and testing, but it seemed as though almost all the mammals in her life were scarred in one way or another.When she and Nicole had been grooming each other, she had seen that the vixen’s body was a roadmap of a kind. Each of the scars a permanent reminder of the perils associated with living a precarious life. Her scars had been earned when her attempts to skirt the social line that separated legal from illegal went awry. She hadn’t been told the whole story, but she was smart enough, and had been close enough to that line herself a few times growing up, to read between the lines.

Looking back towards the older coyote, she once again considered how those scars were earned. For a mammal like Carol, scars like that were earned in combat, or in training. Each one a potential reminder of one’s own mortality, but also in a way, each one of them represented a moment where the Reaper didn’t get his due.

“That which does not kill you, makes you stronger,” she said quietly, not wanting her words to reach the ears of the gathered mammals.

Nadine chose that moment to chime in, “I checked in with Delgato and Zephyr, and they’re both going to meet us at Mac’s” The tigress looked over towards Carol, and made an unsure gesture with her paws. “Will the Doc be joining us tonight?”

The question made the coyote stop in her tracks, and Celeste was surprised to see the trainer’s ears pin back slightly before she managed to regain control. Looking back towards Fangmeyer, she shook her head, and even Celeste could see that she wasn’t happy about something.

“No, he’s going to be tied up in the lab for a while yet.” Carol paused for a moment, and Sue made her way over to the smaller pred. As Celeste quickly looked between her fellow officers, she could see the concern on Sue and Nadine’s muzzles. Even Nicole poked her head out from her stall, her own ears pulled back against her scalp.

“Any chance this one will be different?” the cheetah asked as she placed one of her paws on the trainer’s shoulder.

Carol didn’t say anything, and simply shook her head, brushing the paw off of her shoulder as she did so. Celeste knew that there was a story behind the trainer’s sudden mood change, but before she could ask, she noticed Fangmeyer trying to get her attention. When she looked over to the large feline, Nadine making a cutting motion across her throat while mouthing the words “Later” at the young coyote.

Celeste nodded her head in reply, letting the tigress know that the message was received and understood. “I asked Allen if he wanted to join us...if that’s okay?” she asked; eager to direct the conversation in a more positive direction. Fangmeyer looked down of the small coyote, a slightly confused expression plainly visible on her muzzle. It only lasted a moment, before her eyes widened, and that confusion was replaced by a more sultry look.

“Ohhh, right,” the tigress said as her eyes widened and her expression took on an amused countenance. “You and pretty boy are an item.”“Pretty boy?” Celeste queried, not quite sure how she should respond to jibe. Nadine laughed at the younger female’s puzzled expression. “You’d need to be blind to not recognize that there is one well built mammal.” The tigress finished disrobing and headed towards the showers herself, giving Celeste a wink as she went by.

Sue was the next to speak up, and Celeste was slightly embarrassed to suddenly be the focus of attention, “Whitefoot, I’m not even into canines, but Nadine’s right; you’d have to be blind to not recognize that he’s a catch...and possibly bordering on unreasonably hot.”

The comments from the two big cats, had surprised Celeste. Although the was sill inexperienced when it came to relationships, she knew that Allen and she had come together because of the mammals that they were, not merely because they found each other attractive...although she did admit that her yummy puppy was easy on the eyes. They were kindred souls after a fashion, and when they were together...it was like they just fit in a way that no one else ever had.

Regardless of her embarrassment, Sue and Nadine’s comments did cause her to examine Allen in a more physical sense. As she thought back over the time they shared together, the images in her mind lent weight to her colleagues’ comments. She was still off on her mental reverie when her tail began to wag of its own volition...again. Looking back over her shoulder, she eyed the offending appendage with only a small bit of resignation.“Traitor!” she mumbled to herself, but Sue managed to overhear the comment, and laughed at the young officer, before placing a comforting paw on her shoulder, shaking her head at the coyote in both admonition and in support.

“Come on, Whitefoot,” she said after a moment before pointing down towards the coyote’s tail. “That little ‘traitor’ there is one of the best lie detectors there is, and what it’s telling me is that you are one lucky lady.”

Celeste laughed at the comment, and finally made her way to an available stall. The friendly banter from her colleagues washed over her as surely as the spray from the shower. To her surprise, she found herself laughing alongside them more often than not.

 _“I’m not quite ready to contribute,”_ she thought to herself, once again looking down at her tail, which, even soaked through and covered in shampoo, once again was wagging up a storm.

One final thought crossed her mind as she began rinsing the suds from her coat, after so many years spent mostly alone, that night was the first in a very long time where she felt like she belonged anywhere other than with her colleagues over at Precinct 4.

 _“I’m one of them!”_

* * *

Surprisingly, the traffic jam in the change room developed after all her colleagues had washed away the evidence of their training. Although Carol hadn’t exaggerated regarding the type and quantity of the personal care supplies present for everyone to use, there were only two full body fur dryers in the changeroom.

The delay had given her a chance to once again mingle with her colleagues, and although there was still that feeling of unease, and hesitation, she found herself laughing along more often than not.

When her turn came to dry off, Nicole caught her eye, and gave her a surreptitious thumbs up and a wink. The vixen has obviously been keeping track on her roommate’s attitude during the evening. Celeste had to smile at the sight...partially because, aside from the thorough beating she had received as part of her initiation, she was actually enjoying herself.

It hadn’t taken long for all of the females to throw on their civilian clothes, and prepare themselves to leave. Just as she was getting the last of her things together, Celeste happened to look over at Carol, and saw the older coyote retrieve a sheathed knife of some kind from her locker. The trainer quickly had the blade secured along her lower back, just above her waist, with the hilt pointing downward. Once Carol put on a light T-shirt and spring jacket, if Celeste hadn’t know it was there, she would never suspect its presence. Even with her rather basic knowledge of such things, she recognized movements that had been drilled to such a degree that she doubted that the Carol even realized that the action had taken place.

It wasn’t a common accessory for most mammals to have, and even then, something more akin to a multi tool was used. Based on her limited time with Carol, she suspected that freeing up stubborn screws was not the primary reason for her wanting to cary the blade around. “But that is a question for another time,” she thought to herself as she headed out to meet everyone in the parking lot. As Celeste passed through the empty front lobby, she could see most of the class were waiting outside through the tinted windows. Before leaving, Celeste saw Carol take a moment to enter a rather lengthy code into a panel just outside of the changerooms. There weren’t any logos to be found on the keypad, and she didn’t remember seeing any of the stickers warning would be thieves that a security system was in place.“But in about half of those locations,” she thought to herself, with a small chuckle. “that sticker is the only part of the system that’s actually present.”

Carol finished setting up the system, whatever it was, and then looked over to where Nicole and Celeste were standing by the front door, Nicole holding it open for the trainer.

The older coyote noticed Celeste’s interest in the alarm system, and she gave a small laugh while trotting over to join her students.

“That little number is a custom security system, Whitefoot,” Carol said as she allowed to front door to close before ensuring that it was secure. “Officially, this place is a ZAF property, and we do keep a variety of weapons, including firearms in the back.”

Celeste’s eyes widened in surprise, actual firearms were extremely rare in the city itself, and although Celeste had seen them used out in Bunnyburrow every now and then when a stray bird of prey would try it’s luck on the mammals who lived there, but having weapons of that type, here?

The worry must have shown on her face, as Carol laughed and shook her head at the younger female, “They’re replicas Whitefoot. Very, very accurate replicas.” She finished ensuring that the door was locked for the second time, and then motioned towards the assembled mammals, and directed them down the sidewalk.Celeste, Julius and Nicole took up a position near the front of the pack, and while they were walked, Carol continued on with her impromptu lesson.

“We didn’t work with them tonight, but having some training for you ZPD officers is a must,” the trainer had a far away look in her eyes when she spoke, and Celeste cocked her head in curiosity.Once again, the older coyote waved the concern away, “I’ve seen first paw what those weapons do to a mammal. I’ve been on both the sending and receiving end of that particular horror…and there’s no place for anything like that in Zootopia.” Giving herself a shake while subconsciously reaching up to rub her shoulder, as the memory of how she earned that particular scar was dredged up. Movement out of the corner of Celeste’s eye attracted her gaze to Nicole, who was idly tracing a claw tip along one of the small scars that dotted the vixen’s body. Given her previous experience with firearms, Celeste knew that it would be a very personal thing for Nicole.

Julius must have seen the gesture as well, and her reached out to offer his mate some small bit of support, and the smile that spread over her muzzle at his touch, showed that his gesture was appreciated.

Carol turned on her heel and walked backwards so that she could meet her student’s gaze. “Those replicas are designed to match their real world versions exactly. All the parts move the same way, the weight is identical to a loaded firearm,” Carol added, before shrugging her shoulders. “The side effect of that is, they can fool almost anyone into thinking they’re real.”

“She’s right, Whitefoot,” Wolford chimed in from the middle of the group, where he had one of his arms affectionately wrapped around the waist of Nadine. “I’ve only come across a couple of pistols over the years, but when I was using the training replicas, without dropping the mag, there’s no way I’d know the difference.”The much larger tigress used the statement as an excuse to but her head gently against the wolf, who gave a small chuckle at the cat’s actions before returning the affectionate gesture.

Celeste’s eyes widened when she realized that the wolf and tigress were an item, and a small smile formed on her muzzle as she saw the shared affection between the two.

Nadine looked towards Celeste after a moment and gave the younger coyote a knowing wink. “I wasn’t kidding when I said that Whitehorse was a catch, pup,” the much larger tigress made a show of easily pulling Wolford closer into her side; the wolf laughing unabashedly at the ease with which the tigress was able to move him. “I’m a bit partial to a more...experienced partner, but you’ve got yourself a real keeper, Celeste.”

The younger coyote laughed at the pairs antics, but also shrank down as the focus seemed to turn towards her. Nicole must have seen her expression, and laughed quietly before she chose to wrap her arm around Julius’ shoulder, pulling him in close to her. Julius startled slightly at the contact, but then Celeste saw the buck relax into his mate and the tension drained away. Even Celeste knew that it had taken the two mammals longer than it should have to finally recognize their feelings for each other. Now that they had accepted fate, the expressions on the assembled ZPD mammals showed that the couple had the support of every one of them.

“We ended up being trendsetters of a sort,” Julius said, having sussed out the origin of the embrace he was currently enjoying, and also Celeste’s expression of surprise. “...inadvertently at least, but at least a few mammals decided to let their feeling be known.”

Nicole gave a bark of laughter at the comment and rolled her eyes at her mate before pulling him even closer into her side. After taking a moment to relax and enjoy the warmth of the rabbit’s presence, she waved her paw dismissively at her colleagues, “Back to the gun issue, fortunately they’re as rare as hen’s teeth out on the streets...and the odds are that most of those either barely, or don’t work, or the mammals can’t even find ammunition for them.” The vixens face became a bit troubled as she thought back to her own experiences that, and Julius must have felt the vixen tense at what was probably a fairly unhappy moment, and he pulled Nicole in even closer, as well as meeting her eyes, in a silent show of support.

Thinking about their various backgrounds, the scars, both visible and hidden all told a story. While the origin for those souvenirs was probably quite different from Carol’s, more than likely shared a common tragic theme.Nicole gave herself a small shake and smiled down at Julius. The vixen sighed and shrugged as her expression once again grew more serious. “The worst is when a mammal of...questionable morals manages to find both of those items.”

Wilde looked between Julius and Celeste, “When that happens, a lot of them want to see how well their new ‘toy’ works...and there’s usually a big price for that.”

The assembled mammals all nodded their heads in unison, each of them having seen exactly how high that price could be, either while out on patrol, or merely from their time at the academy.

Sue was the first one to break free from the pall that had come over the group, and she let out a dramatic sigh, “Enough of this!” the cheetah said as she picked up the pace motioning for the assembled mammals to keep up. “If we’re going to go down this road, I need a beer.”

Nicole shook her head and laughed as the cheetah made good on her word. The vixen shared a glance between Julius, and Celeste before releasing her one armed embrace, and the three of them sped up to a light jog. For the larger mammals, it was more a brisk walk, with even Wolford and Grizzoli able to keep up without issue.

For the smaller mammals, Carol included, they kept pace, and the ZAF trainer laughed at the antics of her students.Once again, Celeste was struck with a sense of belonging that was still quite new, and unfamiliar. For once though, the uncertainty wasn’t an unpleasant thing, and she found herself smiling as she shared in the laugher o her comrades.

It didn’t take them long to reach the pub. From the outside, it looked like any number of other bars that Celeste had come across. The paw carved wooden signs and accents imparted a Celtic vibe to the building, and it projected a warmth that seemed to beckon to her with promises of comfort. She knew about the social role that they played, but her general avoidance of alcohol...and her shy nature had all conspired to keep her ignorant of many of the social norms that she knew her fellow ZPD officers took part in. As they approached the large wooden front door, Celeste’s nose began twitching as the scents from inside the pub became more distinct. A low rumbling behind had her, along with the other mammals in the group looking back towards Ivan Grizzoli. The white wolf was holding a paw to his midsection, and when he looked up at the rest of the group, he shrugged with indifference towards them.

“Hey, what can I say?” he began as he continued towards the pub’s entrance, “I’m famished, and it’s wing night.” The wolf paused for a moment and purposefully swept his gaze over Celeste, and a mischievous grin spread over his face. “Well Whitefoot,” he began, the tone of his voice adding a hint of amusement...and challenge to his words, “You’re about to embark on one other rite of passage for ZPD Precinct One. Mac’s ZAF inspired blazin suicide wings!”

Even Celeste had to roll her eyes at the comment, and there was a shared laugh among the group as they arrived at their destination.

Celeste had to shake her head at the male, and she waved a paw dismissively at him. This was one challenge that she was well prepared to meet head on.

“Ivan, I haven’t met a hot sauce yet I could not conquer,” she said with conviction, and noticed the smiles on the other ZPD officers grow just a little wider at her words. The coyote motioned towards Nicole as she continued, trying to sound confident in her capabilities. “Just ask Nicole why I’m not allowed to cook for the two of us unless she’s seen the ingredient list first.”

Once again, the group shared a laugh at the comment, and it was Carol who pivoted on her heel to look back on her new student. The smile on the trainer’s muzzle had that same wry amusement etched in it that Celeste recognized from back in the salle.

“Many mammals have made that statement, Whitefoot,” she said after a moment. “That sauce represents the distilled longing that all servicemammals develop when forced to subsist on something that the brass call ‘food’,” Carol made a show of pantomiming quotation marks, which spoke volumes about the ZAF experience in this regard. “Put simply, there is never such a thing as too hot, and this particular version of liquid hell is the brainchild of an old friend from the Zootopia Marine Corps.” Carol gave a small laugh as she turned to face the pub once again.

Calling back over her shoulder, she continued, “As loathe as I am to praise a Jarhead, Gunny Willis deserves all the credit for finally creating something that can cover up...whatever it is that’s in most of the pred MREs.”

Celeste had to laugh at Carol’s commentary, and at least in this, she was confident that, whatever the older coyote could dish out, she would be able to handle.

In contrast to her earlier statements about needing a beer, Sue paused at the door, and held the door for her comrades. As soon as they stepped inside, the sounds and smells became more distinct, and the young coyote’s ears twitched back and forth as she took in the unfamiliar locale. The interior of the pub was very much representative of its external appearance. The walls, the long bar that covered almost the full length of left wall, and the chairs and tables that took up the rest of the floor space were hewn from solid wood it seemed. Identifying the exact type was well beyond her skills, but it all melded together into something that was comforting on an almost visceral level.

There were a lot of mammals already present, and many were seated in small groups. She recognized some of the mammals, either having met them during her occasional visit to precinct one, or recognizing them from the descriptions...and stories that Nicole often told about the fellow mammals at Precinct 1.

She was still taking in the sights and smells when a tap on her shoulder gave her a small start. Looking over, she saw Sue point with her free paw towards one of the tables where two male big cats were waving them over.

“That’s Zephyr and Delgato,” the female cheetah supplied, pointing out the cheetah and lion for her benefit, and motioned for Celeste to follow her. “I don’t see Whitehorse here just yet, but you said he was going to swing by, right?”

Celeste nodded in reply, noticing once again that her tail was doing it’s damndest to ensure that everyone was aware of…

She stopped for a moment as she realized that, she was simply happy. She knew that Allen would be there shortly, but already she was far more relaxed than she had anticipated after the training session. The mammals at the 4th precinct had their own local haunt that they frequented, the Wayfarer, and from a design standpoint, the two could not be more different.

The Wayfarer was a modern place. A bit brighter than the subdued warm tones of this place...but the atmosphere was so similar, it just seemed like she was already home.

She gave a small laugh and shook her head at the, admittedly, minor revelation, and then followed Sue to meet the other ZPD mammals. The male cheetah, stepped towards Sue as she approached, and the female wasted no time in wrapping him in an embrace, as she rubbed his cheeks with her own.

Celeste’s ears twitched as she heard a low rumbling purr coming from both cats, and she couldn’t help but smile at the pair. Their intimate moment only lasted for a few seconds before Pawmyer gave a dramatic sigh, and released he hold on her mate. Looking back towards Celeste, she gestured between the two male cats and the smaller coyote.

“This is Jake Zephyr, and Marcus Delgato,” she said as a brief introduction, first indicating the cheetah, and then the lion. “Boys, this is Celeste Whitefoot, out of the 4th, and Spitfire’s latest victim.”

Jake gave Celeste a once over with his eyes, which then widened in surprise. He looked between his mate, Celeste, and Carol as she approached with the rest of their group.

“Wait, she’s just coming from her first session?” he asked after a moment, and Celeste was amused to see the look of disbelief spread to Delgato’s visage as well.

The lion gave a quiet whistle as he took in the news. “How is she still upright?” he asked after a moment, and there was a bark of laughter from Carol as she took in the scene.

“Not every mammal who comes through my doors has an over-inflated sense of their paw to paw skills, gentlemammals,” the trainer added with a laugh. “Patrolmammal Whitefoot here has some rough edges to be sure...and she’ll probably have some...creative expletives for me in the morning when several painful reminders of areas where she better improve on, become even more apparent.”

Celeste cringes slightly at the emphasis that Carol placed on those words, but the elder coyote was all smiles when she continued on, “but all in all, it was a good start.”

Carol looked over the table for a moment, “Did you place the first order yet?” she asked, and when both males shook their heads, she motioned for Celeste to come with her to the bar. “Come on, Whitefoot,” the called out over her shoulder. “I can use a paw to help cart back the first round!”

Celeste’s ears pulled back for a moment, but she sighed and made to follow the older coyote.  
“Uhhh, I’m not really much of a drinker,” she stated hesitantly, not quite sure how it would be interpreted by Carol.

To her surprise, the trainer simply laughed, and looked back towards her with a genuine smile on her muzzle.

“As long as you can help carry back some pitchers, you’re welcome to have whatever you like,” Carol clarified, before looking back towards one of the bartenders, who Celeste noticed, already had three pitchers of beer along with a stack of chilled glasses waiting for them. The middle aged wolf nodded towards the pair as they approached, and he dramatically motioned towards the drinks.

“Three pitchers of Hopps and Robbers, and I already placed a order for four buckets of wings for the table,” the wolf said as they arrived. “Do you know if Officer Hopps will be going with beer tonight, or should I whip up some carrot bombs?”

Carol laughed and shook her head at the bartender. “Am I getting that predictable, Riley?” she asked as she motioned for Celeste to take one of the pitchers, along with a stack of glasses.

The wolf held up his paws in mock surrender. “You’re consistent, Latrans, not predictable. Oh and for the wing order, I went with two of the Blazin Suicide’s...as well as that special item that you asked me to look into.”

Carol’s grin became even wider...and showed far too many teeth to be entirely benign, and she rubbed her paws together in anticipation. “Colin figured out how to make it completely vegetarian?” she asked, and there was no concealing the mercurial zeal the colored her words.

Riley shook his head, and motioned over to where a young white tailed doe was scurrying between the kitchen and the guest tables. “Nope, this one is all thanks to Amber. She managed to find alternates for all the questionable ingredients...Oh, and then a bucket each of honey garlic and mild.”

Celeste’s ears twitched when she heard a distinctly unapproving note in Riley’s voice as he listed the final flavor option, but Carol gave an appreciative humm and licked her chops in anticipation of the...apparent treat. The smile quickly returned to the wolf’s muzzle looked over to Celeste for a moment before returning his gaze to Carol.

“New student?” he asked as he extended a paw towards the younger coyote before she had had a chance to pick up her share of the burden.

“Right you are,” Carol said as she picked up two of the pictures with one paw, and the second stack of glasses in her other. “Riley Packer, meet Celeste Whitefoot.”

Celeste took the wolf’s paw in her own, “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said and motioned over her shoulder back towards the pub’s entrance. “I’m stationed over with fourth precinct.”

“Pleased to meet you, Celeste,” Riley said before the two of them released each other’s paw. The big wolf made a sweeping gesture, as a sly grin appeared on his muzzle. “Welcome to Mac’s, my pride and joy.”

Celeste gave a small laugh at the wolf’s attempts at injecting drama into the conversation, but her head cocked to the side, and she gave the barkeep a curious once over with her eyes. “Wait,” she said...If you’re the owner, what’s with the name.”

The wolf gave a real bark of laughter at Celeste’s question, before nodding his head approvingly. “You’re not native to Zootopia, are you Whitefoot?” He asked after a moment.

Celeste shook her head in reply, and noticed that Carol was quietly laughing to herself.

Riley just nodded before pointing back over his shoulder towards one of the many photographs hanging behind the bar. When Celeste examined it more closely, she saw that it was a group of three mammals dressed in ZPD dress blues. It took her a moment, but she recognized a younger version of Riley, along with a bison and a coyote.

“The coyote there was the Mac in question,” Riley added, and Celeste noticed a hint of sadness in his words...as well as his use of the word ‘was’ in his description.

“We were all ZPD over in Precinct One...actually we were over where precinct one used to be before they got a significant upgrade, and we had been the Three Musketeers since our days in the academy.” The wolf took a moment to look Celeste over before continuing. “Mac came up with the idea for this place,” He gave a small laugh, and when he continued, his voice took on a higher pitch as he attempted to recreate the scene from decades ago. “Come on guys! We make a place where our buddies feel welcome, and we get free drinks to boot!”

Riley shrugged and laughed at the memory, “Well, all three of us pooled out money, and started working to open this place.”Riley took a step back, and motioned for Celeste to look down while gesturing to his legs. When she did, she immediately recognized the brace that was supporting the wolf’s right limb.

Riley looked back towards the photo, and reached out a paw to touch the image of his friend. “Fate had other plans for him though,” the wolf said somberly. “The explosion that gave me this little souvenir...well Mac didn’t make it. Once the dust settled, I retired from the ZPD for medical reasons, but Josh, that’s him by the way,” he clarified while pointing towards the bison, “he’s still out on the streets...well more correctly, he’s behind a desk at the seventh.”Allowing his eyes to sweep over the pub’s interior, the old wolf smiled warmly...but Celeste saw that the expression didn’t make it into his gaze. “We both agreed that we would make this place a reality; for Mac, as well as every other mammal in uniform, and that’s been the case for going on thirty years now.” the wolf gave a small bow towards Celeste and Carol as he finished his tale.

Celeste took the opportunity to quickly look over the other photographs that were hung behind the bar. There were probably hundreds, stretching almost to the ceiling of the pub. In each and every one, the mammals were either in uniform, or were seen sitting somewhere inside the pub. Her head cocked to the side as she noticed another common thread. In all the images, down in the bottom right corner, there were icons or symbols.

She looked at Riley, and she could see that the older wolf was nodding to himself, as he caught where her gaze had been jumping to after his tale.

When the young coyote leaned a bit closer, the symbols came into focus, and her eyes widened as she instantly understood their meaning. There were six different ones that she could clearly see, the ZPD, ZFD, and EMT badges were the most obvious of them, along with the logo of the ZAF. Given this place’s history as a safe haven for all mammals in uniform, it wasn’t surprising in the slightest.

The other two were more unfamiliar. One took the form of what looked like a rod or staff of some kind that was capped off with a pair of wing. There were two snakes coiled around the staff, and it took her a moment to realize she had seen this symbol before, both from the various history books that she had read over the years, but also every time she went into a hospital.

The Caduceus was of ancient origin, easily dating back thousands of years. As was the case for the Star of Life present on the EMT’s badge, this was a symbol for healers. Doctors, nurses, and technicians were all included under the symbol’s auspice. In many cases, this also included chaplains or other positions where the spiritual and mental well being of the various servicemammals were looked after.

The final symbol was a complete mystery however. It was a simple six sided star, devoid of any additional markings.

Whatever its symbolism, Celeste was quickly able to interpret their purpose. Looking back at the photo of Riley, Mac, and Josh, she saw the single ZPD shield down in the corner.

 _“It’s a memorial!”_ she thought and took a step back in an attempt to take in the sheer number of mammals who were represented here. As she gazed at the individuals who had sacrificed so much to keep Zootopia safe, her paws subconsciously rose to her muzzle as the sheer cost of that goal.

She noticed that both Carol and Riley were nodding in approval as she took it all in, only snapping out of her reverie when she heard the clinking of glasses, as the barkeep placed three tumblers on the bar’s surface, along with a bottle of what she thought was scotch.

When the wolf went to pour the three of them a drink, Carol spoke up before Celeste could get a word in edgewise. “Whitefoot’s not much of a drinker, Riley,” she said as the wolf finished pouring the first glass.

Although Celeste really did not enjoy alcohol...of the effect that drinking too much of it had on a mammal, she wasn’t so socially ignorant to not recognize the tribute that was about to come. <

“For something like this, I’ll make an exception,” Celeste said as she once again looked over all the photographs, and looked at the faces of her brothers and sisters in uniform, and the staggering number of them who had made that ultimate sacrifice. She did take a moment to look back at Riley, and held up one paw with her index digit and thumb held close together, “but just a little one, if you don’t mind.”

At this, the wolf nodded in approval as he passed the first glass over to Carol, who and then poured the second and third glasses, with the final one containing little more than a splash of scotch...while his own drink seemed like its purpose was to make up the difference from hers.

When she picked up the glass, the barkeep looked between the two coyotes before raising his glass. Celeste and Carol mirrored the gesture.

After a moment, Riley turned towards the wall of photos, his glass still raised in salute, “To absent comrades, friends, and family. We honor their memory, and work to build upon the foundation that they left us.”

“To comrades, friends and family.” Celeste and Carol repeated, and Celeste saw several other mammals in the pub also raise a glass to their fallen comrades out of the corner of her eye.

Once she saw Riley and Carol move to down their drinks, Celeste did likewise...or she tried to at least.

As soon as the liquid hit her tongue, the harshness of the alcohol nearly overwhelmed her senses. She fought past the pain and quickly swallowed the scotch, just managing to keep the liquid down, as she coughed uncontrollably.

She felt a paw pat her back as the coughing started to subside, and when she looked up, she saw Carol at her side, trying to support the younger coyote. She could see that both the trainer, as well as the bartender were more amused by her suffering than offended, and Riley offered her a glass of water, which she quickly downed.

There were smiles on Carol and Riley’s faces as the younger officer recovered. The wolf raised an eyebrow towards Carol, “So, do you want to tell her, or should I?” he asked when it became clear that Celeste was indeed recovering.

Carol continued to keep her attention on the younger coyote, and motioned with her free paw for Riley to go ahead.

The wolf took a moment to ensure that the label of the bottle was pointed towards Celeste, before retrieving a folder from behind the bar. After flipping through it, he tapped a claw tip on an entry that Celeste couldn’t make out from her current angle.

“Oh good,” Riley said after looking over the information, “it looks like someone updated the pricing just about a month ago.” The wolf pointed towards the bottle and began to list off its attributes. “Okay, so Macallan single malt scotch, aged in charred oak for eighty years. Most recent price at auction was just under fifty four thousand dollars.”

Celeste’s eyes widened in shock and she was transfixed by the unassuming bottle casually left out on the bar.

Both Carol and Riley laughed at her expression, and the barkeep pointed towards Carol. “So your damage is going to be right around four grand, Latrans.” He shrugged and motioned towards his own glass, “Fortunately, being the owner means that I get to write it off as a business expense.”

Terror started to creep into Celeste’s expression as she looked down at her empty glass. Riley pretended not to notice the young officer’s distress, and pantomimed making some calculations in his head before continuing.

“Now, I only gave you a quarter shot, so for you, it’s just an easy grand. Aren’t you glad you managed to keep it down?” he stated, and Celeste looked up at the wolf in shock. His expression was one of detached indifference as he gathered up their glasses, and returned the bottle to its place behind the bar.

When he came back up, he was holding on to a point of sale terminal, and he motioned towards Celeste, “We take cash, debit, and all major credit cards,” he said without hesitation, and gone was the amusement and mirth that had been present only a few short minutes ago.

Celeste could feel her heart began racing, and she looked towards Carol...only to see that the trainer was trying...and failing to hide her amusement at the scene in front of her.

Riley gave an exasperated sigh and threw up both paws in surrender. “Come on, Latrans!” he said, and Celeste quickly began to calm down, realizing that she had been a part of a joke. From the looks of the other patrons in the pub, a long running to boot. All the mammals who were close enough to have overheard the conversation, were also trying to hold back their laughter.

“You know full well that we only get to do this to new mammals once,” Riley said, but there was far more amusement than condemnation in his voice. He sighed theatrically once again, and returned his gaze to Celeste, allowing himself a quiet chuckle when he saw her expression.

“Just so you know,” he began once he was certain that no additional amusement would be forthcoming from his prey, “that actually is what that bottle costs, and that’s why it only comes out when we’re welcoming a new brother or sister in arms.” The wolf once again offered his paw to the young coyote, and when she took it in her own, he nodded in a sagely manner. “Welcome to Mac’s, Patrolmammal Whitefoot. This refuge is open to you and yours from this day forward.”

Celeste had to laugh at the formality of the welcome, but she smiled at the bartender, and nodded her thanks.

Carol gave her a tap on the arm, and motioned towards the pitchers and glasses that were still on the bar’s surface. When she made to pick up her share of the burden, the older coyote motioned towards her, “Did you want coffee, tea, or something else, Whitefoot?”

Celeste considered the question for a moment, “Tea sounds good to me.”

Carol nodded and looked back towards Riley, “So, one pot of tea, and I think Whitefood would probably like a Hindsight is Twenty-Twenty, but minus the regret.”

The younger coyote fixed Carol with an inquisitive gaze, and the other coyote just laughed, “Don’t worry, Celeste. It’s basically a very tasty protein smoothie, which will probably help your disposition when you wake up tomorrow.” Carol picked up the remaining two pitchers, along with a second stack of glasses and started making her way back to the table, where it appeared that the first order of wings was arriving at that moment.

Celeste came up beside Carol, her head once again cocking to the side in curiosity. “...and that ‘minus the regret’ part?” she asked, but before Carol could answer, the appreciative cheers of their table mates washed over them.

The two coyotes, passed around the glasses, and the group quickly settled in with their drinks in paw, and Celeste looked over the food options.

Carol took a sizable gulp of beer, and sighed contentedly before looking back at Celeste.

“The normal Hindsight is…” the older coyote paused as she considered the right descriptor for the beverage’s makeup. “fortified with a triple shot of Kahlua, but in your case, that particular medication might not be the best option.” She gave Celeste a wink, before she took the opportunity to take another long draught from her beer, before motioning towards the buckets of steaming wings.

Without missing a beat,Carol snatched up one of the almost glowing wings, “Now for the next bit of entertainment this evening,” she said before stripping the meat from the bone in a single bite.

There was a brief whistle from Zephyr who was shaking his head in disbelief.“How do you do that, Latrans?” he asked before selecting a couple of the honey garlic wings for himself and Sue.

Carol simply laughed, and reached for another wing. “There is no such thing as too hot, Zephyr.”

Wolford pushed one of the suicide wing buckets towards Celeste, and there was genuine amusement in the wolf’s gaze, “And now, Whitefoot, it’s your chance to see if there really is no hot sauce that you can’t conquer.

”With a snort of derision, Celeste grabbed one of the wings, and after giving it a quick sniff, she mimicked Carol’s technique, and quickly reduced the wing to little more than bone.The assembled mammals leaned towards her, and with the exception of Nicole, there was a mixture of amusement, curiosity, and concern written on their faces.

The burn started towards the back of her mouth, and she had already determined that the sauce was liberally spiked with some variety of habanero, but as the heat built, it became obvious, that the sauce made us of some of the more aggressive varieties out there.

 _“Okay, it’s hot,”_ she thought to herself, and she could feel some tears threatening to fall, but then the burning sensation plateaued, and she cocked her head to the side as she waited for the possibility of a second round of torment to arrive.

After a moment, the younger coyote shrugged her shoulders, and reached for another wing. An action to which there were gasps of disbelief, along with Carol nodding approvingly at her new student.

Zephyr looked between the two coyotes, with utter disbelief. “So are all coyotes crazy, or just the two of you?” He asked after a moment, and another round of laughter resulted from the statement. After giving himself a shake, he returned his attention to his own...less painful meal.

The ice had been truly broken at this point, and the group began passing around the food , with only Nicole and Julius not taking part. The reason for Julius’ rejection was pretty understandable. Being a rabbit, his diet was almost exclusively plant based. For the vixen, it was a more complicated story. Celeste knew that Nicole did eat meat, but she also made it a point to try and stick to a vegetarian diet, particularly when she and Julius were together.

Her musings were interrupted when she saw Riley approaching from the bar. The wolf was holding a tall glass in one paw, and a plate in the other. As he came nearer, Celeste’s nose recognized the scent of the suicide sauce wafting from the plate, but the contents of the glass weren’t quite as obvious.

Riley stopped at the table, and placed the glass in front of Celeste, “One Hindsight is Twenty-Twenty, minus the regret,” before placing the plate in front of Julius, “And one Shitaki Hellstorm for Officer Hopps.” the wolf said, and Julius’ eyes widened as he looked at the offering.

The morsels on the plate were obviously deep fried mushrooms from Riley’s description, and Celeste had to shake her head when Carol laughed at the rabbit’s expression. “Come on now, Hopps,” she said, and a malicious twinkle could be seen in her eyes. “You managed to avoid this tradition back when you first started, but I never forgot.” She motioned towards Rile with one paw, “I asked for a special menu item be made just for you, and tonight, it’s finally ready.”Riley laughed at the spectacle, and smiled down at the diminutive officer. “This is completely vegetarian, but we took special care to ensure that there was no loss of...potency in the dish.” He made a sweeping gesture towards the dish before taking a step back from the table. “Please, dig in.”

Celeste could only shake her head at the scene. Julius was already starting to hyperventilate, and Nicole was doing what she could to offer support. She took the opportunity to take a sip of her drink, and nodded approvingly at the taste. It was very sweet, and she could taste a mixture of berries along with what she suspected was peanut butter.

Julius, was still fixated on the food in front of him, but everyone could see that the bunny wouldn’t let this challenge beat him. After taking a single deep breath, the buck popped one of the smaller morsels into his mouth, and closed his eyes as he started chewing.From her own experience, Celeste was counting down the seconds in anticipation of the spice burn that was coming. Julius managed to swallow the first bite, but then the rabbit’s form was wracked with a series of coughs as the heat built.“Oh, sweet cheese and crackers!” the buck managed to choke out while his eyes flitted across the table searching for help.

Nicole pushed Julius’ glass into the rabbit’s par, and he wasted no time downing the brew. From the rapid panting that started when he lowered his glass, it wasn’t enough to stop the pain. Nicole took a moment to refill Julius’ glass, and she watched with genuine concern as he proceeded to polish off the second pint.

Nicole looked towards Celeste, or more correctly, towards Celeste’s drink. Pointing to it with one paw, she looked over to Riley, “Is that safe for him to drink?” she asked, already reaching for the glass, and Celeste wasted no time in handing it over.

The wolf nodded his head, and he appeared to be somewhat concerned at the rabbit’s plight. “It should be fine, it’s mainly soy based.”

Nicole nodded, and passed the drink over to her partner. Julius took a deep draught, and then he simply sat still, with both of his ears hanging limply behind him.

There was a moment of silence as the assembled mammals collectively held their breath. Julius licked his lips several times before taking a second sip of the Hindsight.The buck took a deep breath and then opened his eyes. He first looked towards Nicole, and reached over to take her paw, “Thanks, Nicole,” he said simply before another bout of coughing came over him.

Fortunately this episode didn’t last long, and the rabbit quickly recovered. Shaking his head, he pointed towards Carol, who’s expression had shifted from concern to unbridled amusement, as had the faces of the rest of the table.

“Carol, you are completely insane,” he said after a moment before looking between Nicole, Celeste, and Carol, all of whose expressions were still shifting from concern to amusement, “and I’m starting to worry that having Nicole introduce the two of you to each other, may not have been the greatest of ideas.”

Although the rabbit’s tone implied a degree of severity as he gestured towards the neon-colored torture that the two coyotes genuinely seemed to enjoy, but the seriousness of his tone didn’t last long, and his attempts to stop the smile from appearing on his muzzle proved to be in vain.

Delgato gave a snort of amusement as he looked down at his fellow officer. “Latrans being crazy, that’s not exactly a revelation, Hopps.”, the lion stated while motioning towards where Carol was trying...and failing to mask her amusement at the expense of Julius’ tribulations, now that she was certain he would recover.

The trainer managed to recover after a moment, and shook her head towards Delgato, “Well someone here needs to keep our storied and hallowed traditions alive,” Carol took a sip of her beer while waving a paw dismissively in the general direction of the remaining feast, “all four and a half years of having them.”

The group, seemingly in unison, rolled their eyes at the trainer, but they all quickly returned their attention to the food. Seemingly out of nowhere, Celeste saw Amber remove the Shitake Hellstorm from in front of Julius, replacing is with what appeared to be a...less lethal version of the dish, as well as a large salad to go along with it, while also placing some kind of hot sandwich in front of Nicole.

“Sorry about that, Officer Hopps,” the deer said apologetically, “I thought it was pretty good, even with it being so spicy.”

Julius waved his paw while shaking his head, “Don’t worry about it, Amber.” There was a very real smile on the buck’s muzzle as he met the waitress’ gaze, while gesturing to the new dish placed in front of him. “What I did manage to taste before the gates of Hell opened was quite tasty, so I’m actually looking forward to a more sane version.”

When the waitress made to leave, Carol held up a paw to get her attention before motioning for the deer to leave the Hellstorm with her.

Carol looked over to Celeste, and motioned towards the dish with her paw, “Wanna share this one?” she asked, and Celeste nodded vigorously as she passed over her plate. After roughly splitting the dish in two, Carol slid the plate to Celeste. Both coyotes made a show of offering the spicy treat to the other ZPD mammals before tucking in to the feast. Even Celeste had to admit that, for a vegetarian item, the heat from the sauce did wonders for masking the slight bitterness she often found associated with vegetable dishes.

She was just preparing to take another bite when Nicole tapped on her shoulder, and motioned towards the pub’s entrance.Looking up, Celeste’s smile broadened, and even seated, she felt her tail begin to wag as she saw Allen enter and start scanning the interior of the bar, presumably for her.She quickly wiped her muzzle with a napkin before standing up and waving to attract the wolf’s attention. It only took Allen a second to look towards her, and what could only be described as a goofy grin spread over his muzzle as he waved back at his coyote. Sue and Nicole shuffled their chairs around to make room for the wolf, and Celeste fought the urge to tear across the intervening space, and let her yummy puppy make his way over.

  
...well she almost succeeded at any rate.

Once Allen came within a few feet of the table, he opened his arms to Celeste, and any thoughts of acting calm were dashed against the overwhelming desire to be close with her mate.

She covered the distance swiftly and wrapped her own arms around his midsection, while sighing contentedly as he enveloped her much smaller form. Her nose twitched, and the combination of his touch along with his scent caused all the minor aches and pains to dissipate. Even though she knew that the moment would have to end at some point, she wasn’t going to be the one to do so.

It was only a pawful of seconds before Celeste’s ears twitched as the voices of several mammals at their table cried out suddenly.

Looking back over her shoulder, she saw that Delgato, Johnson, Pawmeyer, and Zephyr were all recoiling from where Carol was alternating between coughing and an almost maniacal laughter. The ZPD officers were all dripping, having obviously been sprayed by the older coyote’s beer when something had surprised the trainer.Carol took a shuddering breath, before looking towards Celeste and Allen. “You, and he? You’re?” was all she managed to get out before she once again lost any form of control, and degenerated into another fit of laughter.

Celeste’s ears pinned back in an instant, and her face radiated the shock at Carol’s reaction. She had thought that the two of them had made a connection, but the trainer’s reaction sent a spike of pain through her.

Allen must have sensed her distress, and she could feel the low rumble of a growl begin to emanate from his throat.

The sound must have carried, to the table, as Carol’s ears snapped towards the pair, and she paused in her laughter as she took in the expressions plainly visible on their faces.

She was still fighting back laughter, but Carol frantically waved her paws in a placating gesture towards the pair, and out of the corner of her eye, Celeste caught Wolford looking between the three mammals before he too started shaking in quiet laughter.

“No, no, Whitefoot,” Carol said, now desperately trying to gain control, as she could clearly see that her actions had hurt the young couple. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Carol retrieved her phone from her pocket and proceeded to quickly flip through its contents. “Oh spirits, Celeste,” she began while passing her phone over to Robert, and motioning for him to give it to Celeste and Allen. “When I first met you earlier, I thought that there were some funny parallels between us, but this?” She motioned to the two canines, who were still holding onto each other, but everyone could see that Allen’s grip had taken on a more protective role.

Taking a calming breath, Carol motioned towards her phone. “But this? I think I need to have a serious conversation with my mother about any lost siblings I may have.”

Allen’s expression showed more confusion that hurt at the trainer’s words, and it only took him a moment’s glance at the offered phones screen, before he too was fighting back laughter.

Turning the device so that Celeste could see the screen, the younger coyote’s eyes first widened in surprise, before she too was helpless to hold back the laughter that instantly replaced the confused hurt that she had felt only moments ago.

What other response could there be when seeing the photo of Carol, standing just outside the door to this very pub, wrapped in the arms of a white furred wolf.

Carol motioned towards the phone with her paw, “That’s my nerdy boyfriend, and the Doc that everyone keeps referring to.” The older coyote gave her head a shake as she waved towards Riley, to have another round of drinks brought over for the group before looking back towards the couple and chuckling at the misunderstanding. “He also goes by Dave...well every now and then at least.”

Nadine gave a small chuff of laughter at the scene, “I thought he also went by Snow White, Latrans?”

Carol’s eyes narrowed as she looked towards the tigress. “There’s only one mammal who gets to call him that, any you’re lookin at her.”

Although the older coyote tried to maintain her serious facade, the efforts were in vain. Shaking her head in resignation, Carol rose from the table, and made her way towards where Celeste and her mate were still wrapped in each other’s arms.Seeing the pair, Carol couldn’t help but notice the rather parallels that had bubbled to the fore this evening. She and Celeste were two very different mammals, but at the core, they were very much united.“Sorry about that, Whitefoot.” she said, and there was genuine contrition in her tone as she reached out and placed a paw on Celeste’s shoulder. Her gaze flitted between the young coyote and her mate, and after releasing her student’s shoulder, she took a step back and just shook her head at the coincidences “I believe we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, officer,” she stated calmly while offering her paw to the larger wolf. “Carol Latrans, AMCQC liaison for Savannah Central.”

The wolf shook his head, taking another glance at the phone in his pasw, and once again laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Swapping the phone to his other paw, Allen smiled and gripped Carol’s.“Allen Whitehorse,” he said simply. “Ptarolmammal for Savannah Central out of Precinct One.” The wolf released Carol’s paw, and returned her phone, which was quickly whisked out of sight into the coyote’s pocket.

Allen made a dismissive gesture, and when he glanced down at Celeste, he could see that, no apology was needed on the trainer’s part.

“Don’t worry about it, Ma’am,” Allen said, and before he could continue, there was the unique sound of laughter being choked off, and his ears twitched as they picked up the sound from most of the seated mammals.

When he looked down towards Carol, her ears were pinned back slightly, and the trainer had crossed both her arms across her chest. “‘Ma’am’, Whitehorse?” Carol asked, her voice managing to convey both amusement and chastisement in equal amounts. “Do I look that old to you, officer?”

Carol only maintained the charade for a few heartbeats, before giving the wolf a wink, and motioning for Celeste and he to join them at the table.

  
An amused chuckle could be heard from the assembled group as the pair took their seats, Robert having already slid a glass of beer over for the new arrival, and motioning towards the food already present on the table. After taking a quick sip, and sighing contentedly, he considered the options on the table.

“Dig in, Whitehorse,” Wolford said as he pushed one of the wing buckets in their direction. Allen nodded in thanks , but when he reached out, Celeste’s paw caught his own. Looking over at his mate, he saw her shaking her head in warning.

“Not those ones, Allen. Trust me.” she cautioned her mate before looking over to where Wolford threw his paws up in mock frustration.

“Come on, Whitefoot!” he said while shaking his head disapprovingly, but he could only maintain the facade for a few seconds, before the smile returned to his muzzle.Carol rolled her eyes at the wolf before taking a sip of beer, and motioning towards the suicide wings, “No one’s stopping you from enjoying them , Robert. I think we’ve already hit out torture limit for the evening after what we put Hopps through.”

The trainer focused her attention on Celeste and Allen. “ I still can’t believe the coincidences here, Whitefoot, Whitehorse. The fact that it we’re in this place, just makes it all the more crazy.” her expression took on a more sultry look, as she she focused on Allen, “And there probably is something to be said about male coyotes just not being up to the task of satisfying a lady.”The table immediately broke into a round of laughter, although the trainer’s words seemed to have the opposite effect on Celeste and her mate, as they both tried to make themselves as small as possible.

  
Nicole, not being one to let such an opportunity slip by, shook her head at Carol’s words, “Really, Carol? We’re both of an age where we know that, it’s not the size that matters, it’s how the male uses it.”Julius’ ears sprang up instantly before he too made an admirable attempt to become one with the chair. The vixen looked over at him, and gave him a wink as the table erupted into laughter once again.

It was Robert who broke the silence, and he pointed back towards the bar to emphasize his point, “Back to crazy coincidence between you two, this place is where Spitfire here first bumped into the Doc.”

“What, really?” Celeste asked, as she looked towards the older canine. “Was he military too?”

That question almost had Carol spraying the table with beer for the second time that evening. She did manage to regain control quickly, “Dave? In the ZAF?”, she asked, her amusement plainly evident from her tone. “No, that would have been one of the worst career choices in history for him. We met here, and once things got rolling, that’s all she wrote.”

Wolford let loose with another bark of laughter, “And all you needed to do to get his attention was to snap a tigers arm like a twig,” The wolf raised one paw before continuing, “Oh, wait! My mistake...it has been a few years. What I meant was that the tiger suffered a broken arm after due to a bad fall when he got into ...disagreement with Sergeant Latrans.”

Carol groaned and cupped her muzzle with her paws, “Wolford, you do know that I got docked two weeks pay for that little incident, right?”The words came out somewhat muffled by her paws, but they were still easily understandable. Releasing her head, she looked towards Celeste, “About the closest my Snow White gets to military life is vicariously through me.”

Celeste took in the words, and nodded in understanding, “Back in the changeroom, you mentioned him being stuck in a lab,” she asked, remembering Carol’s reaction from earlier.The smile slipped slightly from the older coyote’s face, but that was the only overt sign of distress. “He’s over at the Honeywell Centre,” Carol stated, waving a paw towards the east. “All the mammals there tend to wear many hats, but yeah it’s...yeah.” Carol’s voice trailed off, and now Celeste saw the trainer’s ears start to pull back. Delgato reached over a paw, and gave Carol’s shoulder a brief squeeze to show his support, “Those mammals do good work, Latrans. Don’t forget that, and don’t let him forget it.”

Carol took a moment to polish off her current drink and made to pour another one. “They all know that , Marc,” she said, and there was almost an exhausted edge to her tone. “Every day, he knows...Hell, all of them know that they’re going to lose patients.”

It was Allen who was the first to react to Carol’s words, “Every day, they lose someone?”, he asked after considering the older coyote’s words. “Is it something like hospice care?”

“No, Whitehorse,” Delgato replied, sliding his phone over to the younger officer. “That place is supposed to be a maternity clinic for inter couples.” He motioned towards the phone, and Allen held up the device so that he and Celeste could see it. The image was a simple one, a group of mammals in scrubs and lab coats standing outside of a hospital. One mammal in the photo wasn’t like the others, and the two canines both looked towards the cub who was riding on the shoulders of a female jaguar.

“All of them, they saved my nephew, Lucas,” the lion said, “...but that’s not what normally goes down there.”

Carol, took the opportunity to take a longer pull of beer, and shrugged, “For most inters, it will never be an issue. To different for things to work out. For others...the outcomes are usually bad.” After a moment’s silence from Celeste and Allen, Carol gave a small bark of laughter, and gestured between she and Celeste a few times before chiming it.“That’s not the case for us, Whitefoot,” Carol fixed both of the young ZPD officer with her gaze, “Wolves and coyotes are one hundred percent compatible, so unless the two of you are looking forward to the pitter patter of little paws, be careful.”

Both Celeste and Allen shared a quick glance at each other before nodding unison. The message was crystal clear for both of them,

_“Not now, not soon, but in the future? Maybe”_

The somber mood of the table evaporated, and true to its nature, the pub became a place to swap stories, make boasts, and relax after their earlier exertions.

* * *

As the group split apart, Celeste and Allen waited just outside the door for Nicole and Julius to exit. Carol was the next mammal to leave, and she made it a point to stop and offer her paw to the pair.“It was good to meet both of you, Whitefoot, Whitehorse” she said, once again looking over the smaller female, “And sorry for the confusion earlier. I was only half joking with the missing sibling comment.”

Celeste waved the apology away, now knowing that there hadn’t been any malice behind Carol’s behavior...and even she did have to admit that it was funny where their lives seemed to match up.

“Regardless, you two have a nice night, and Whitefoot, your next session is on Wednesday, and I’ll need to work up something special for the group” Celeste noted that the coyote’s words had taken on the same tone as when they were at the salle and just nodded in reply.

“Whitehorse, you’re not on my list currently, but the rotation is starting to speed up,” the trainer then nodded to the pair, before taking off in a measured lope.

Allen shook his head at the receding coyote and wrapped an arm around Celeste’s shoulder. She gladly allowed herself to be pulled in closer. They just stood there for a few moments, until both their ears twitched towards the door, just as Nicole and Julius walked through.

Neither Celeste of Allen made any move to separate, and the rabbit and vixen both shared a smile when they looked at the couple. They only did so for a moment before Julius cleared his throat, and with an overly theatrical groan they both released their holds on each other.

Julius motioned in both directions, “So what are the plans now?” he asked, his voice not giving any hints as to his own feelings.

Nicole considered it for a moment, before motioning towards her and Celeste’s apartment. “Let’s head back to our place,” she said, before reaching both her arms up into a stretch that was punctuated by elongated yawn.The effect of the rest of the group was as expected, and even though they tried to fight it, both Celeste and Julius were helpless to stop their own yaws from escaping.

“Sounds good to me,” Julius stated, as he and Nicole started heading in that direction, with Celeste and Allen soon to follow.

* * *

Once they arrived back at the apartment, there were no real debate on their activities, as the two couples simply nodded towards he other, before heading into Celeste’s and Nicole’s respective rooms.

They both knew that there would be no further exertions that evening, and Celeste effectively only managed to half slip out of her shirt before collapsing on the bed. Allen shook his head at the small coyote, and he immediately moved to help her get settled. As he did so, he began to slowly massage he abused muscles, and Celeste sighed contentedly. Her entire world reducing to just the two of them.

As her wolf’s paws worked their way over her body, she felt the last dregs of tension leave her. All that remained was the touch of his paws, and their scent intermingling in the air. Her exhaustion was all to real however, and it wasn’t long before she drifted off into sleep, only dimly aware of the moment when her love wrapped his arms around her. She was safe, and she was loved, and nothing else mattered as sleep claimed them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone,
> 
> For those of you who don't know me, I'm eng050599...there's a story behind it, but not a good one.
> 
> First of all, my thanks go out to Steve for inviting me into his world, and it has been a fun ride so far.
> 
> Back in 2016, I remember Steve leaving a review for Lost Causes and Broken Dreams over on FanFiction. 
> 
> "The Coyote Gal gave me a well-needed LOL"
> 
> Very succinct, and I suppose that it was a starting point for the two of us. When the idea hit Steve to have some cross pollination between our stories, it was blatantly obvious which characters needed to be the focus. 
> 
> Celeste Whitefoot, and Carol Latrans.
> 
> The two characters seemed to resonate with both our readers, and this also allows for some additional content that plays to our individual fortes. 
> 
> I'm not going to spoil the surprise for any of you, but I know that I have been having a blast going over ideas, scenes...and of course the science serving as the base for a lot of good story development. 
> 
> More chapters will be forthcoming, and I hope that you all enjoy the story, as it has been an honor to be a part of this.
> 
> One final note, and I make sure to do this any time that Lost Causes and Broken Dreams is brought up. 
> 
> That is my main narrative work, but it is not a story for everyone. Over the past year and a half, it has earned it's tragedy tags many times over. I have no problems admitting to being in tears when writing some of the more intense scenes.
> 
> I gave some hints in this chapter about the kind of work that goes on at the Honeywell Centre, but it barely scratches the surface. 
> 
> The impetus for the story was the...seemingly endless questions I was being asked over on Reddit regarding hybrids (I know, we all want funnies). When I described the most likely scenarios...well it wasn't a happy scene.
> 
> IRL, I'm a scientist, with a particular interest in molecular biology and comparative genomics, and I have tried to use the story as a vehicle to give some idea of how this aspect of medicine and research are performed. To help out with this, I also try to ensure that there are copious end notes (and the ever popular Science Time!), but if anyone has questions, just leave a comment, or send me a DM (on FF at least). 
> 
> I cannot promise to have all the answers, but I will make the attempt. 
> 
> Once again, thank you for giving this a read, and if you're interested in Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, it is both on AO3 and FanFiction (same user name for both sites).


	9. Nicole and Julius Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone,
> 
> I'm pleased to present the next chapter for Steve Gallicci's Nicole and Julius. As I mentioned in the previous chapter, Steve and I have been reading each other's work for quite a while now, and one amusing coincidence was that, we each had a knack for creating interesting and unique coyotes.
> 
> This collaboration spiraled out of our desire to dig a bit more deeply into the possible social and cultural aspects of the various species in Zootopia, with canids being the obvious choice, given the similarities between Carol and Celeste.
> 
> It has been a privileged and an honor to work on this project, and I hope that everyone will enjoy the story to date, as well as what is to come.

**Nicole and Julius: Chapter 14: Celeste Gets Shot  
**

* * *

Another routine patrol day with Jefferson and Whitefoot. The little Coyote girl was driving today, still learning the ins and outs of the city. Her Puma partner was scrutinizing their surroundings as he had an almost supernatural talent for spotting suspicious activity.

 

"So, how is the extra training going?" Referring to the advanced paw-to-paw combat training that the ZAF had allowed the ZPD to participate in.

 

Celeste gave a little whine. "I'm still a bit ambivalent about it. I know it will help me be more capable in various situations, but..." She sighed. "But I don't want to become a hammer that only sees every problem as a nail."

 

Jefferson chuckled at that. "Hardly a risk, Little One. You're too grounded to ever go brutal. Besides, the greatest warriors of legend were the gentlest in spirit."

 

_ <" So, I've become the Great Mistress of the Atlatl now? _ _" >_ She said in the Old Tongue.

 

"Hah! Not with that accent." Whitefoot and Jefferson would exchange little scraps of Territories language and lore. She had only the slightest taste from her Uncle years ago and the Puma came from a different district and following, so they didn't have as much common ground as one might suppose. But they did what they could with what they did have, and like the wartime "Code Talkers", had their own private communication.

 

"Yeah. Carol has more vocabulary, but admits she isn't sure about the phonemes half the time." Celeste smiled. "I guess I'm sticking with the training as much to be around her and her boyfriend. He's a wolf too, and I'm learning more about Lupus/Latrans social stuff from them."

 

Jefferson glanced over at his partner. Though a bright young Pup, her unusual upbringing had neglected the typical social and cultural experiences of someone of her age and species. Fortunately, her new family within the ZPD was supportive, even protective. He certainly regarded her almost like a daughter himself; the age was right, old cat that he was.

 

And there was the matter of her Boyfriend, Alan Whitehorse. He was a particularly striking Wolf, as far as Jefferson's understanding of such matters went, and seemed a genuinely nice young Pup. But there were some social differences between the two breeds and the elder Coyote, Carol, was helping Celeste navigate some of those issues.

 

"That black SUV." A late model mid-size, some fancy trim and mirrored windows.

 

"Uhmm, almost like they're trying to get us to notice them. Think they want a chase?" For whatever reason, miscreants seemed to think that a high-speed chase was great sport, even with the prospect of ever increasing odds of getting caught and now rather severe penalties.

 

"I hope not." The big cat grumbled as he tapped on his data pad. "Wrong plates for the vehicle. Likely both stolen." He then called into dispatch to inform them of the situation, then, "Let's light them up and see what happens."

 

The errant machine didn't stop immediately, pulling off to a side street first, but then stopped.

"So good so far. Don't like the mirrored windows though."

 

Celeste approached the vehicle. Other than the mirrored windows and the dubious status, there wasn't anything else obviously amiss. The driver's side window buzzed down and she could see a wolf, then -

 

Jefferson had been approaching the vehicle from the other side, baton-sized flashlight in one paw, the other on the stunner on his belt. Damn, the windows were nearly opaque from the outside, some kind of quickie Mylar foil applique_. The flashlight would help determine if the foil was too opaque to be safe. The foolish things a mammal will do to look 'cool'.

 

The gunshot startled him for only a fraction of a second as he saw Whitefoot fall away from her side of the SUV.

 

Then everything became a slow-motion nightmare.

 

It took agonizing fractions of seconds to slap his communications panic button on his vest, while winding up for a blow with his flashlight to the passenger side window. But the vehicle was already lurching forward, and while he was able to bust the window, he also smashed his paw on the frame and could not really see who was inside, other than hearing a yelp that sounded like a wolf in the passenger seat getting a loose flashlight to the face.

 

Then the SUV was gone.

 

He scrambled over to Whitefoot while calling in the incident. She was curled up on her left side, shivering with pain. He saw a bit of bloody smear under her chin, and a growing pool of blood under her head. He ever so carefully raised her muzzle just a fraction to peer under. It was nasty looking.

 

The bullet had skimmed under her right jaw line then up and out of the lower left side of her face.

 

He ran back to the cruiser for the aid kit. "Repeat! Officer down with GSW. Suspect vehicle fled east bound on Blair. Driver armed with automatic pistol. Possibly wolf or wolves." He hoped their body cams got a better glimpse of who exactly did what. His nose and ears said wolf for now.

 

Then he was back and tended to Whitefoot. Getting her sitting upright, he could see that the bullet had broken and dislocated the left side of her jaw, as well as torn out her left cheek. With gauze pads, he cupped the bloody mess back into approximate place then wrapped it all up.

"It's messy, but not too bad, pup." He sat with her leaning into him for support, his arm around her for a touch of comfort. She nodded, and attempted a feeble pat on his arm.

 

Jefferson began an old chanted prayer that he was surprised that he remembered. Ancient words, the sort of thing more attributable to racial memory than active recital. It helped settle him through the shock of seeing his partner so injured, and to his great relief, her breathing slowed and synced to the cadence of it as well.

* * *

Winston and Whitehorse heard the ping for the Officer Down and Be On the Look Out notice. Whitehorse was driving today so it was Winston who read off the relevant information. "Black late model SUV, mirrored windows, with passenger side window missing. Plate ----. Two wolves, armed and dangerous."

 

As Winston read further, her ears pulled back and she glanced over to her partner before calling in. "Dispatch. Unit 217 requesting Hospital support."

 

There was a notable pause before Dispatch responded. "Unit 217 cleared for 10-44."

 

Whitehorse frowned and swiveled an ear towards Winston, but kept his eyes on the road. "So?"

 

"The officer down was Whitefoot. Non-critical GSW."

 

He let go a thin whine, but remained calm as he dealt with traffic. "Are you sure we can afford to take the break?"

 

"Stupid Boy!" the matronly Elk Cow snorted. "You're going to be useless with worry. And I wasn't about to not tell you."

 

"Thanks."

 

To his credit, the Wolf made his way across the city in an entirely safe and sane fashion, though he was stress-panting the whole time.

 

When they arrived, Winston gripped Whitehorse's arm. "Take a deep, slow breath, Alan. Freaking out isn't going to help Celeste."

 

"Yes Ma'am." He took a long whistling breath through his nose, and in that, realized he reeked of stress. And Winston had a can of Mask-All ready for him to use.

 

He had to let go a sad little chuckle. She was always one step ahead of anything he might do or need. They exchanged looks. His of gratitude, hers of sympathy. "Take care of your Pup, Pup." She gave him a pat and indicated she'd take care of the cruiser.

 

In trying to find her, Whitehorse found Jefferson and a Detective in a waiting area.

 

"They're patching her up now." And Jefferson offered him a hug. The wolf accepted, though cringed a bit at the scent of her blood on the Puma.

 

"What happened?"

 

"Stolen SUV with stolen plates. Stopped readily, then Whitefoot was shot as she approached the driver. I punched the passenger side window," He held up his bandaged paw. "Mirrored so I couldn't see, but they took off." There were two wolves in front."

 

"How bad?" the Wolf whispered.

 

"Messy but not in danger. The bullet caught her like." And Jefferson pointed with his paws the path.

 

Whitehorse groaned in grief. Through her face, her sweet little puppy face.

 

"The big thing will be her jaw reconstruction. The Docs said she ought to be as good as new in time, but they were talking about months, maybe. But she won't need to be wired shut. Just a mouthpiece to keep things aligned. She didn't lose any teeth, but it will be soft food for a good while."

 

Allan was not happy, and the matter-of-fact tone of the big Cat didn't help. He paced around the waiting area, hugging himself and flailing his arms in inarticulate emotion in turns.

Jefferson and the Detective, a Cheetah named Brooks, exchanged looks. Jefferson had warned Brooks about the relationship between the two young Canids before, and now seeing Whitehorse's reaction, the Detective scowled in disapproval. 

 

He leaned in to whisper, "This is why cops shouldn't get involved with each other."

 

Jefferson shrugged. "Yet it's a thing that happens."

 

"Still isn't right."

 

Jefferson regarded the other cat, wondering if it wasn't the two officers as officers that he was objecting to. Seeing the larger cat's angry tail twitch, the detective was anxious to get to business and began drilling Whitehorse about possible connections or associations that might have any motivation for the shooting.

 

Like with Jefferson, there wasn't anything obvious, and the old Puma's hard eye kept the Cheetah on subject, least he editorialize. On the other paw, he was gratified to see the pup be able to collect himself and focus on the case, even after his initial shock.

 

All too quickly the interview was over and the three had to simply wait for the doctors to do their thing.

* * *

"Oh glob, how I hate domestics!" Julius wooshed, watching the distraught Opossums being lead off for separate transport back to the Precinct.

 

Nichole sadly nodded in agreement. They'd spent half the day trying to talk down two estranged parents in a fight over a court-approved visitation. It had been resolved without resorting to darts or stunners or paws-on force, but it had been an emotionally wrenching ordeal for everyone involved. Especially the little ones.

 

The four little Joeys were now incongruously clinging to the Antelope Social Worker who in turn was assisted by a small crowd of other Officers and Emergency Medical Technicians who were trying to console them.

 

"Let's get back to the precinct and call it a day." Nichole suggested. It was still a bit early, but they were both pretty well spent. They slumped back to their cruiser where they noticed some notifications waiting for them. First was a BOLO for a SUV with armed and dangerous suspects. Nichole read further as Julius got the cruiser ready to head out.

 

"Shit!" Nichole snapped and called in. "Unit 442, Wilde here! Clawhauser! Answer me!" Too much surprise from Hopps.

 

"Damnit! That BOLO was about someone who just shot Celeste at a traffic stop! Clawhauser!"

 

"Unit 422. Clawhauser's out. Kleinzahn here. We knew you were in a situation and didn't need the distraction. You're cleared to go check on her. She's over at Zootopia General."

 

"How bad?"

 

"Channel 8 for that." An encrypted frequency for secure communications, least media ghouls or more unfriendly ears were trying to listen. "I'm told it's not life-threatening but nasty. Be safe."

 

Julius growled to himself as he eased into traffic. Nichole braced for an explosive acceleration and was surprised to have the Rabbit go with the flow. "Julius?"

 

"We have a BOLO and nice and easy is the best way to do that." He grumbled back. Nichole nodded and the pair shared a tense quiet ride to the hospital. About the time they arrived there was an announcement that the SUV had been found, abandoned, but there was no additional information on the suspects.

 

They were relieved to find that the little coyote was already settled in a hospital room with several other officers, mostly from the Fourth, there for her. And there was Whitehorse, leaning over to ever so gently rub her ears with Jefferson sitting beside him, his arm supporting the bereaved wolf.

 

Poor girl. Half her head was wrapped in gauze, her mouth was filled with a wad of absorbent material and a small pan was beside her already half full of bloody product. She had multiple intravenous lines in her arms and thankfully silenced monitors tracing her vitals. Her eye were dull and unfocused due to the drugs she was likely full of at the moment as well.

 

However, seeing Nichole, Celeste let out a muffled little whine, which brought the new visitors into focus to the rest as well. Just little nods of recognition, as no one wanted to talk all that much, just be there in silent vigil.

 

Over the next hours or so, a few well-wishers came or left, still with little to be said. Then a Nurse came in to check on Celeste's condition, pointing out that she'd fallen asleep and if the fool Wolf fiddled with her ears or head much longer, he'd rub her hairless. And though she didn't say anything, gave Nichole a look for how she had been gripping Celeste's paw as well.

 

After some whispered debate, Whitehorse was going to over-night with Celeste, with Nichole and Jefferson ready to give him breaks as needed for the remaining time she was expected to remain in hospital. Thankfully, that was not expected to be very long, though the nature of her injuries meant she would be idled for a good while.

 

Out of the room, Nichole confronted Jefferson. "You okay?" Giving him a rather critical eye. She had not been on the force every long, but had enough life experience to know that having a trusted partner be caught like that could be devastating.

 

Jefferson gave her a bemused look and held up his injured paw. "The Docs say I'll be fine. Just superficial cuts and stuff."

 

The Vixen relaxed at that. The big Cat was known for his stoic meme, mostly, but those who knew him better could count on a subtle sense of humor too.

 

"Seriously."

 

The Puma huffed. "I'm not all guilt -ridden or crushed in self-doubt. Just frustrated that I missed it and now can't really DO anything about it."

 

"Yeah." Nichole mused darkly. "The detective said that the stolen car had the mirror foil added after it was taken, so there is some concern that it was a targeted shooting."

 

"Must have been a random cop to kill act though. Whitefoot is too new and hasn't done any major busts to piss off some criminal gang or some such."

 

"With my joining the force, I drew any media attention away from her entry, so she's largely just another anonymous beast in blue."

 

"On the other paw, we seem to have a DNA sample of the passenger. So if we find suspects, we can get a positive ID." Julius added. "But where to start? There's only ten thousand or so wolves in or through the city at any one time and next to none are in the database." Though the prey/predator ratio in the city was around ten to one, Zootopia had millions of citizens, so even small minorities still added up.

 

"What I'm worried about is the whys of it. Some kind of gang thing? If so, they're armed and really dangerous, if starting out with attempted murder of an officer, what else might they try?" Nichole looked at her Bunny Boy. Her early worries for his safety had receded, but now the idea of police being targeted brought her anxieties back.

 

Julius seemed to sense that, and gave her paw a little supportive squeeze.

 

Nichole cringed just a fraction. "Before, it was just you, but now it's everyone in blue." How that harkened back to her early heart-to-hearts with Bogo and how just wearing the badge made everyone a target.

 

"Let's just hope it's just one gun and only some minor idiots." Julius suspected that, despite the drama of the attack, the perpetrators were more likely dangerous fools than dedicated terrorists or criminals, or at least that was his hope. Simply good police work could deal with the former, but he dreaded what might become necessary to combat the later.

* * *

The bullpen at the First was all a buzz with the shooting that next morning. Nichole and Julius were reticent to say too much beyond some small reassurances that Whitefoot was going to be okay, waiting to see what the official word was going to be.

 

Bogo entered to a rather more subdued crowd in anticipation of serious news.

 

"As you all may have heard, one of our own out of the Fourth, Officer Whitefoot, was shot at what should have been a simple stolen vehicle stop. However, it appears that it was a deliberate attempt at a cop killing."

 

He let that sink in a moment before continuing. "She was hit, but only across the face, and is expected to make a full recovery." A sigh. "But it was only inches and milliseconds from a fatal injury."

 

"I'm not going to waste our time with the boilerplate lecture about safety and all that. But I do demand that you not be brave, in the sense of ignoring your gut to an iffy situation. Calling for back-up for even the most routine situations should never be considered too wary, or even cowardly. If there are actors out there targeting us, they may well try to lure officers in for the most innocent of reasons."

 

"As for what we do know about them, there isn't much. The shooter was a Wolf, unidentified, and had a passenger accomplice, another Wolf. We have what seems to be good DNA on him, but he's not in the system. The gun, at least from the spent brass in the vehicle, was a 9mm automatic, possibly a Bruining."

 

"If any of you hear anything at all that might be helpful to the investigation, pass it on to Detective Post. He's the First's lead on this, working with the Fourth's unit."

 

Nichole oh so quietly hissed at that. When Julius gave her a querulous look, she indicated 'later'.

 

Bogo went on to mention Whitehorse was out, keeping an eye on Whitefoot for now, so Winston had to get shuffled. Clawhauser would coordinate times for anyone who wanted to visit Whitefoot. Then the rest of the morning briefing was relatively routine.

 

Once out of the bullpen, Julius asked Nichole. "What was that about Post?”

 

The Vixen growled. "Don't know what his malfunction might be, but that 'Yote has some kind of hate-on for me. My best guess is that he thinks I'm running some kind of long con with Bogo and the ZPD."

* * *

Allen found himself just staring at Celeste's gauze wrapped face, having reluctantly heeded the nurse's advice and avoiding too much contact with her. The young coyote had finally drifted off into a fitful sleep again when the last of their colleagues had left. He knew that everyone was both worried, and wanted to help, but seeing how it drained his love, he had breathed a sigh of relief when they had finally left.

 

He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, and try to take away some of the pain...as well as the fear that his nose had been able to detect since he had first arrived. Not wanting to disturb her too much, he reached out and gently took her right paw in his own and just spent the next few minutes gazing at her sleeping face. Every time an errant movement caused her expression to tighten in pain, he wanted to somehow shoulder a small portion of this burden from her. .

 

A flicker of movement from the suite's doorway pulled his gaze away from Celeste, and mentally he cursed having to deal with another visitor, but any comment he was about to make died in his throat when he saw a while wolf dressed in scrubs and a lab coat enter into the room. The doctor's eyes first looked towards Celeste's, making a quick assessment of her condition, before he nodded to himself and made his way over to where Allen was sitting.

 

Unlike so many of their colleagues, the wolf made no move to make Celeste aware of his presence, and instead he first reached out and rested a paw on Allen's shoulder, taking a moment to place a small package he had been carrying off to the side before crouching down so that the two were on the same level.

 

"How are you holding up, Allen?" he said after a moment, his voice just above a whisper.

Even given the situation, Allen had to chuckle at the older wolf's priorities, and he couldn't help but notice the way the doctor's nose twitched as he spoke. He knew that the physician's focus was not a random thing, and the wolf had obviously picked up on his distress. He and Celeste had only known Carol's mate for a few weeks now, but right from the first moment they had met, it had been obvious that Dave was a healer through and through.

 

Even though it was Celeste who had been injured, the events had taken their toll on him as well. The fact that Dave was able to notice it so quickly, spoke volumes about just how deeply seeing Celeste being hurt affected him.

 

"About as well as I can," he replied with a shrug, not really knowing the answer to the question himself. "I want to be able to help, but something like this?" he shook his head and stared at the sleeping Celeste for a moment longer.

 

Dave nodded in understanding, "You're doing exactly what you need to do, Allen." He motioned towards Celeste's bed and then to the room as a whole. "The mammals here are going to move Heaven and Earth to help her physically, but you're the one that's going to need to help her up here." To punctuate his point, the physician tapped the side of his head with a claw tip. "That's going to be a job for all her friends...and her family."

 

Allen cocked his head to the side in confusion at the wolf's choice of words, but at the moment, it wasn't anything of import. After a moment, he sighed and tiredly rubbed a paw across his eyes. It was then that he realized something was missing, and he looked back towards Dave with another confused expression on his face.    
  
"Isn't Carol with you?" he asked, genuinely surprised that the coyote hadn't stopped by if her mate was going to visit.   
  


Dave allowed himself a quiet laugh and shook his head, "No, she'll probably come by tomorrow, but me being here tonight was at least partially to keep her away for a little bit."

 

Allen's confusion must have been visible on his face, as Dave smiled and shook his head at the younger wolf. "Right now, Celeste needs rest far more than she needs another visitor," 

  
  
Dave held up his paws in a placating gesture, before tapping the monogram on his lab coat where the "Dr." prefix was plainly evident, "Carol finally was forced to concede that I  _ miiiigh _ know what I'm talking about here, but she did make me promise to give her a full  _ 'briefing _ ' as soon as I make it home. When it comes to her students; well, for being a certifiable hard ass, she worries all the time."

 

He looked back over to where Celeste lay, and his ears pinned back slightly as he thought about the events that had lead up to this. He knew Carol would take it as a persona failure, but there was very little that any mammal could do. Rather than launching into a lecture, Dave returned his gaze to the young wolf, just in time to see the ZPD officer shake his head ruefully at his actions.

 

Allen had fight the urge to roll his eyes as he took in both Dave's reaction and Carole's...well...paradoxical antics, having seen the collection of bruises that Celeste invariably sported after surviving another training session. As he shook his head at Dave, there was a very real smile on his muzzle.

 

"Thanks for that," he said, and Dave nodded before his ears perked up, and he raised a digit towards Allen.

 

"I just remembered one thing for you two," he said and retrieved the package, handing it over to Allen, who examined it briefly.

 

"It's...a towel?" he asked, his head cocking to the side in confusion, "Unless the answer is forty two, I'm kinda at a loss here."

 

The older wolf couldn't help but laugh at the confusion evident in Allen's voice. "It is a towel," Dave said after a moment, "Take a second to mark that with your scent. Trust me on this one." Allen was still unsure what the purpose of this was, but he dutifully worked the cloth over his face, allowing it to take on some of his own scent. 

 

After passing the towel back to Dave, Allen shrugged his shoulders, and waited for the white wolf to fill him in on the reason for all of this. Dave simply gave the younger wolf a wink before taking a moment to quietly move closer to Celeste's bed, placing the towel next to the sleeping coyote without waking her. Once he was certain that he hadn't disturbed the young officer, he returned to Allen's side.

 

Even under these trying times, there was still a sense of calm kindness that the physician radiated, and Allen simply waited for the older wolf to fill him in on the significance. Not wanting to torture the youngster, Dave chuckled to himself before motioning between himself and Allen, as if to make a point. 

 

"Wolves and coyotes; we share a lot of traits with each other, but we are still different species," he began, working to ensure that his voice was just loud enough to be heard without disturbing Celeste.

 

"For wolves, we have out pair bonds, and compared to some mammals, they are  _ very _ strong, but we also tend to have wider networks of friends and family...it's just how the pack mentality worked its way into our modern lives." Dave shrugged and focused his gaze on Allen, "This type of thing is never a hard and fast rule, and even after being with Carol for a few years now, I'm still surprised at the little things that crop up." 

 

Dave took a moment to look at the younger wolf and motioned towards Celeste with his head before continuing, "For coyotes, that pair bond is almost always _ the _ most important thing."

 

As if to emphasize Dave's point, there was a small sound from Celeste as the two males conversed, and they both looked towards their charge. 

 

The change in her posture was a small thing. Nothing more than a simple tilt of her head, but in doing so, she had brought the towel that much closer to it, and as the two males looked on, one of her paws wrapped around the fabric, and strove to bring it even closer to her sleeping form. Seeing the young coyote react to the familiar scent, Dave raised a paw and motioned for Allen and him to move further away.

  
  


Both males continued to watch as the visible portions of Celeste's face relaxed slightly as true sleep claimed her. Dave gave a small sigh, and looked over to Allen, seeing that the young officer's attention was very much fixated on his mate. 

 

"There is no rulebook for this kind of stuff," Dave said after a moment, and Allen looked at the physician, now only too aware of how such a simple act could help, "but the bond that you two have, just know that when either of you need it, that connection will help pull both of you out of the fire. Quite simply, she is your family now, probably more so than any other mammal out there."

 

Allen eyes widened as he processed what Dave was saying. His knee-jerk reaction was to deny that this was the case; the two of them only having been together for a relatively short period of time. 

  
Even as the thoughts formed, he knew them to be a lie, and once again he had to laugh at the...now blatantly obvious signs that he had missed over the past while. His own upbringing was... well, somewhat of a mess, but he did remember something from his youth.   
  


By and large, mammals in Zootopia simply went with some kind of bonding ceremony, in accordance with their own beliefs, but for a lot of canines, it was even simpler than that. There was a truly ancient tradition to still held sway to this day in more traditional wolf families. Although he had never personally placed a lot of weight behind it, and given his family life...well, maintaining ancient traditions had never been a priority.

 

He knew that, as opposed to the lavish celebrations that were commonly held with other species, the wolf bonding ceremony was a simple thing. The two declared themselves as mates from that day forward, and that could be the sum total of the event.

 

Some packs added on the exchange of gifts or the like, and Allen knew the basics, but it wasn't something he had devoted any effort into understanding. The only constant that he was aware of was that, the two mammals made vows to each other...and nothing else mattered.

 

Dave watched as Allen considered his words, and the white wolf smiled when Allen's expression transitioned between confusion, and surprise. The young wolf gave a small laugh before rubbing his eyes tiredly. His eyes first sought out Celeste, and now that it had been pointed out just how close they had become, there was no denying the truth. He looked back to Dave, and the older wolf had a very real smile on his muzzle.

 

Once Dave noticed that Allen had come to terms with the...revelation he supposed, he retrieved a half empty cup of coffee from the small side table in the room. Giving is a quick sniff; he cringed slightly but still offered the drink to the young officer. Allen took the cup, and downed the tepid liquid almost without tasting it, and he looked towards Dave. 

 

"Thanks for that...and for being here, I guess." he said, still trying to think of what the next steps would be for Celeste and he.

 

The older wolf gave him a small laugh, and motioned towards the empty cup. "Don't thank me for that. We've used that stuff to peel paint at times...or when we need to sterilize equipment in a hurry."

 

Even given the current situation, Allen couldn't help but smile at the joke. "Same thing over at Precinct One," he said, and for just an instant, his words were colored with something other than worry. "Paint stripper, industrial cleaner, and up to fifty percent of a patrolmammal's blood."

 

Dave held up a paw and pointed out the window, "I am swearing you to secrecy on this one, Allen," he said sternly, but the severity of his tone was betrayed by the twinkle of amusement still present in his gaze. "Right next door is the Honeywell Centre...and we have much better coffee...and food in general." 

 

Dave took a moment to look towards the Honeywell Centre, and Allen noted that the older wolf's ears begin pinning back before the physician managed to regain control. Allen still didn't have a complete grasp on what the white wolf's duties were at the clinic, but he wasn't foolish enough to try and downplay the effect that it had on the older canine. From Delgato's description of the Centre, combined with Carol's reaction whenever it was motioned, said all that was needed.

 

The display lasted for only a second before a smile returned to Dave's muzzle and he looked back towards Allen. "Fair warning to you," he said once again motioning towards the Honeywell Centre with one paw. "The normal coffee and snacks, you and the other ZPD officers are free to have as much as you like, but you will see a container liberally marked with biohazard symbols, as well as the name 'Laura' on every visible surface. Do not touch it!"

 

The white wolf paused for a second, and Allen was somewhat surprised to detect some apprehension in Dave's voice. The physician met Allen's gaze, and shook his head at the younger wolf, "If you do, no one. Not Carol, not me, not anyone of the staff with be able to save you." The seriousness of his tone didn't last long before he shrugged, "I'll let reception know that we might be getting some visitors in the near future."

 

Allen nodded, acknowledging the offer...and from the bitter taste he could still sense from the previous cup, it was something that he would be taking advantage of in the near future. 

 

The younger wolf cocked his head to the side as another thought occurred to him, and he gestured towards Celeste, "The towel trick," he began slowly, trying to find the right way to broach the subject of...more traditional canine culture. "Was that something you covered in med school, or just things you picked up over the years?"

 

Dave considered the question briefly before replying, "There was some formal training, both in college, as well as during my residencies," the white wolf shrugged to emphasize the tenuous connection, "but that had more to do with recognizing mammals in distress." 

 

He tapped the side of his nose, and made an exaggerated show of sniffing the air, "Of course, this can tell you more about a mammal's state of mind than anything else really. It's how I made the family connection between Celeste and you the instant I walked through the door. Your secret's safe with me, just so you know."

 

He gave a small chuckle and winked towards Allen before continuing, "Apart from that, the little things, like the towel trick, that was just part of Carol and I learning about each other, more than anything else. Everything else is just stuff that was passed down over the years. You know, the whole  _ 'Part of the Pack' _ , mentality." As he spoke, the white wolf pantomimed quotation marks in the air. Allen ears pulled slightly back, and he shrugged before looking away from the other wolf.

 

Dave's head cocked to the side as his curiosity was piqued. Allen caught the gesture and gave a small sigh, not wanting to go too far down this road. Dave didn't say a word, and just waited for Allen to broach the subject. The patrolmammal's expression telling him that this neither a happy subject, nor one that he particularly wanted to share.

 

The indecision only lasted for a pawful of seconds, and Allen gave a resigned sigh, rubbing a paw across his eyes, as the weight of the day became more apparent. Looking back towards the older wolf, Allen thought about how to explain his situation. After a moment's consideration he just shrugged. "I didn't really have that kind of family life growing up, and heck most of the "wolf culture" bits I do know, I either picked up from movies, or from the few canine friends I had growing up."

 

Dave nodded his head in understanding, "Thank you for telling me, Allen, and you have my apologies for making assumptions." The older wolf cocked his head to the side and his eyes narrowed, as he looked Allen over. "I'm a bit surprised that Wolford or Grizzoli didn't jump at the chance to take you under their wing as it were," Dave laughed and shook his head before continuing, "Well, Wolford at least. You and Grizzoli are of the similar vintage. Both of them came from traditional wolf families, and they'd probably want to induct you into pack culture...vigorously."

 

Allen had to laugh at Dave's comment, and a smile managed to make its way back on to his muzzle. "I think they tried, Dave." he said after a moment, "I just thought they wanted to do the old  _ 'haze the new mammal' _ kind of thing, and kept putting it off." He thought back to the various outings that he had been invited to take part of, "This does explain why those two had such confused expressions on their faces."

 

"If you like," Dave began, motioning between Allen and himself, "Consider this as a second chance of sorts." The older wolf made a show of rolling his eyes in mock derision, "I'm gonna be honest, probably fifty to sixty percent of wolf culture can be summed up as _ 'Grab your packmates, get sloshed, and then engage in some kind of incredibly stupid act to show your strength.' _ "

 

Allen had to laugh at the admission, and Dave gave a mental sigh of relief at the change in both Allen's emotions, as well as his scent. "Fortunately for you," he stated once the patrolmammal regained some of his composure, "I do happen to know that there's significant overlap between some wolf culture events, and the usual...recreational activities of the ZPD and the ZAF."

 

The physician gave Allen a quick wink; "I'd wager that you've already taken the first few steps already. You might not have recognized them, but that's probably how the other Wolves at Precinct One interpreted it."

 

Allen shook his head, as he went over the various events that he'd been involved with...voluntarily or not, "That does help to explain why Ivan constantly tries to start a howl once we got to the pub."

 

Dave rolled his eyes and groaned, "Tell me about it," he said, and Allen caught the older wolf absently rubbing his side. When Dave noticed where Allen's focus was he gave a sheepish laugh before releasing his side. "Carol, is not a fan of the howl, and tends to take extreme measures when I get drawn into one."

 

Allen winced at the thought, having seen the bruises that Celeste accrued during training. Fortunately, Dave waved away any comment, but did shift his gaze to Celeste's sleeping form. "There are some traditions that you might want to look into, Whitehorse," he began, and Allen could hear...longing in the tone? "Both wolves and coyotes have very old tales, and even things that are best thought of as legends. I think that they are the real treasure for both of our species."

 

Hearing the older wolf's words, Allen's ears perked up, genuinely interested it the topic. Before he could enquire, the fatigue that he had felt building, finally became more than he could ignore, and a large yawn signaled his condition to Dave who simply laughed before placing a paw on Allen's shoulder.

 

"Why don't you go and get some rest," he said as he drew a tablet out of his coat pocket, holding it up with a resigned sigh, "Paperwork never ends, and I can stick around until the next ZPD mammal shows up. Unless I miss my guess, Celeste won't be waking up for a few hours at least."

 

Allen considered the offer, and checked his watch before nodding. "Uhhh, thanks for that, Dave. Patrolmammal Jefferson should be here in a half hour or so. He's a pretty big puma, so you won't miss him." He paused for a moment before looking over at his mate. "He's also Celeste's partner, so this is pretty personal for both of us."

 

The younger wolf allowed his gaze to linger on Celeste's bandaged face, and he gave himself a shake before looking back at Dave. "Seriously though, how does this all look?"

 

Dave nodded in understanding, and fortunately he had come prepared for this type of question. "This really isn't as bad as it looks, I'm glad to say."

 

He opened up a document on the tablet and turned it so that the two of them could see the screen. The image was a rough approximation of a coyote's skull, and the physician pointed towards the left side of image. "The jaw repair is relatively easy, and if Celeste were my patient, I have the support scaffold in place early tomorrow. It just needs time to heal."

 

The older wolf's smile shifted into something more...predatory as he switched to another set of images showing a wolf's jaw in the midst of being repaired. There was a single metal brace tracing along the jawbone, giving some support to the bone, and taking some of the stress off of the damaged bone itself.

 

"I'll see if I can pull some strings, but in this case, there's some new techniques that will make her recovery a bit quicker," Dave added, pointing out the almost organic looking mesh that was held in place over the damaged bone. Seeing Allen's eyes widen, Dave shook his head, but the smile on his muzzle was very real, "This isn't magic though, and she's probably looking at four to six weeks for the worst of it to heal, but everything should be back to normal in a total of two months."

 

Allen nodded but sighed at the time frame involved. "I guess it's better than I hoped, but yeah, it's still going to take time."

 

Dave turned off the tablet and once again placed a paw on the younger wolf's shoulder. "The surgeries to repair her cheek will be an ongoing thing, but with the right surgeon," Dave paused and when Allen met his gaze, they could see the...protective instincts that projected from both of them, "...and I fully intend on ensuring that she see the best mammal for the job. The scarring will probably be minimal.”

 

Allen released a breath that he had been subconsciously holding in before nodding. "I know it's going to be a long while for her to heal...and Spirits I wish there was a way to do more.

 

His voice trailed off, and Dave gave his shoulder another shake. "Don't forget that she has a lot of mammals pulling for her."

 

The white wolf then lightly began ushering Allen out of the room, only pausing so that he could spend a few more moments with Celeste. 

 

Once the two of them were outside the room, Dave retrieved a card from one of his pockets, and handed it over to Allen. "That's our home number. You have questions, any time and any kind, just call.

 

Allen managed to smile as he pocketed the information, and offered his paw to the older wolf. "Thanks for stopping by," he stated, releasing Dave's paw and giving him a mock salute before making his way out of the hospital.    
  
He would have been lying if there wasn't a very real part of him that wanted nothing more than to wrap Celeste in his arms and never let her go, but the doctor had been right, and he would be useless to Celeste, and to the ZPD if he didn't get some rest soon. 

 

_ "After all," _ he mused internally, as an uncharacteristic growl tried to escape from his throat.  _ "There are some mammals that need to be tracked down and locked away for a very, very long time." _   


* * *

 

The white wolf sighed in resignation as he completed yet another patient's file. Today had almost been a standard one for him and the rest of the staff at the Honeywell Centre, but standard there meant that all he had accomplished was to crush the dreams of another set of would-be parents.

 

Fortunately, the day hadn't been a total loss however, and he smiled when he looked through the next patient's chart. This was a little one that they had managed to save. The kit had responded well to gene therapy to replace the mutated  _ terc _ gene, that was a major contributor to her canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Even before her birth, she had undergone treatment  _ in utero _ by his own paws.

 

Closing his eyes for a moment, his ears twitched as he thought of the scene from the delivery room from that morning. Even though the event should have been a common one for him; given his position as an OBGYN, and pediatric surgeon at the Honeywell Centre; its delivery rooms were rarely used for their intended purpose.

 

Today had been different, and when he had heard the first squeaking cry emerge from the newborn he held in his paws, the smiles of every mammal in the room were plainly evident, even under their muzzle masks. 

 

He allowed himself to exist within that memory for a moment longer. As he placed the crying kit into the arms of her mother, he hadn't even tried to mask the joy he felt. Seeing the parents welcome their new daughter into this world, was an image he would treasure for a long time to come.

 

A sound from the suite's door drew him out of the memory, and he looked over to see a brown rabbit doe in a clean set of scrubs enter into the room, her attention fixated on the chart she held in her paws. He recognized the nurse from the occasions where he'd be asked to perform a procedure at Zootopia General, or provide a second opinion when the situation demanded it. He and the other physicians at the Honeywell Centre all had full hospital privileges, even if they were only needed once in a blue moon...and most of the ZG's staff much preferring to make use of the Centre's equipment and supplies when they could.

 

Initially, the nurse didn't even notice him, and started making her way over to Celeste. Not wanting to startle the rabbit, Dave tapped his claws against the surface of small table.

 

The nurse's ears shot up at the sound and she quickly looked over to the table where Dave was seating. She gazed at him warily for a moment, but then her eyes widened in recognition. "Doctor Hawthorne!" she began, `working to keep her voice low, so as not to disturb the sleeping coyote. "What are you doing over here? I didn't see your name on the duty roster for tonight."

 

Dave's smile was completely genuine as he considered the smaller mammal. "It's Nurse Hazel, isn't it?" he inquired, not fully trusting that he had all the details committed to memory. He motioned towards Celeste with his head, "Officer Whitefoot is a student of my mate's, as well as being a personal friend for both of us." The wolf gave a shrug as he took a moment to once again go over the coyote's injuries in his mind. "Whatever I can do to make this easier on her and her colleagues, I intend to do."

 

The rabbit nodded in understanding, before taking a moment to check over the IV fluids. "She's scheduled for the first part of the jaw reconstruction tomorrow morning I think," the doe added, quickly retrieving a tablet from its place beside Celeste's bed. After scrolling through the information she nodded to herself, and looked back towards Dave. "It looks like Doctor Packard, is currently scheduled to handle the jaw repair."

 

Dave gave a brief sigh of relief, at the news. He was well familiar with Amanda Packard's skills, having needed the golden jackal's assistance as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, when the deformities of a cub were beyond his own capabilities to repair. He was also silently grateful that she had been one of the pioneers of the scaffold assisted jaw reconstruction, and he was certain that if she didn't opt to make use of it, there would be a damn good reason why.

 

"Good to hear," he said after a moment, making a quick note on his own tablet. "I'll check in with her first thing tomorrow, but I know officer Whitefoot is in good paws with her." Looking towards the nurse, he cocked his head to the side questioningly. "Who's been tapped to handle the facial reconstruction?" he asked.

 

The rabbit's expression fell, and both her ears drooped behind her as she heard the question. She briefly glanced back down at the tablet in her paws, before taking a hesitant step towards the suite's door. "I'm not one hundred percent sure," she said, her voice uncertain, and Dave rolled his eyes.

 

"I'm not looking to get you in trouble, Jenene," he said simply, having remembered the rabbit's first name, "All I care about is making sure she," he added, pointing towards the sleeping coyote, "gets the best treatment there is. I already know I'm not going to like the answer, but just give me the name. I promise to make sure yours is never brought up." He took a moment to stand up and raise his right paw into the air; his first two digits extended while his left paw moved to cover his heart, "Ranger Scout's honor.”

 

Jenene gave a snort of laughter while rolling her eyes at the wolf, "Doctor Edwards requested to take charge of the facial reconstruction.”

 

Dave simply closed his eyes as he took in the news. After taking a calming breath, he positioned his right paw just below the level of his waist. "You're referring to Rick Edwards, correct? Porcupine, about yea tall? Quite possibly the most mediocre surgeon to ever obtain a senior position at Zootopia University?

 

Nurse Hazel winced at Dave's choice of descriptors, but she had to agree with the physician. "No comment on the more...inflammatory descriptors, but yes, that's him.”

 

After another sigh, Dave rubbed his eyes before finally opening them and looking towards Jenene. "Thank you for the information, and Doctor Edwards will be operating on Officer Whitefoot over my dead body...or his. Either option works for me."

 

Dave was already reaching for his phone when he motioned towards the door with his head, "Thank you again, Jenene. If you want to maintain some plausible deniability, you might want to take a short walk," he looked over at the wall-mounted clock, "I think ten minutes should do.”

 

Jenene laughed at the wolf, but started towards the door. "I do feel like a walk would do me some good. Everything with Miss Whitefoot seems on the up and up, and I have the strangest feeling that she'll be receiving the best care that we can offer."

 

Dave smile showed too many teeth to be truly non-threatening, but the rabbit knew that the display was not meant for her. As she left the room, she immediately retrieved her phone, and fired off a quick text message. 

 

_ "Does anyone know when Pokey was going to be coming in tomorrow morning?" _

 

A reply was almost instant, and Jenene saw that Josh, another rabbit nurse had been the first to reply. _ "Doctor Edwards? He's booked in for surgery at 9:15, so he should be in for around 8-ish." _

 

The doe smiled at the information, and she quickly sent off another text, " _ We might want to make sure that he isn't able to duck into an office when he arrives." _

 

As she sauntered down the hall, the plans were already in motion to ensure that Doctor Edwards' misfortune would be well witnessed.

 

Back in Celeste's room, Dave had wasted no time in calling an old colleague to see what could be done about Celeste's treatment. He tapped a hind paw impatiently while the phone buzzed in his ear, before the call connected. 

 

"Doctor White speaking," a female voice came through the line, and Dave smiled when he recognized the slight Slavic accent that colored her words.

 

"Hello, Danika, it's Dave Hawthorne," he stated simply, knowing that the Eurasian wolf would already have her interest piqued simply by his calling.

 

He was not left waiting for long, as a quiet chuckle could be heard quite clearly, "Dave, good to hear from you. So how life or death is the situation this time?" 

 

"I don't only call when I need something, Dana," he said in an amused voice, reverting to the less formal form of her name, "...more like ninety five percent of the time, but yes, I do need your help here. You still have full privileges at Zootopia General, right?"

 

Dave could clearly hear the rustling of paper over the line, "You always have the most interesting cases, so I'm willing to give you some slack, and yes, I'm still in the system."

 

"This one isn't quite as...unique as some of the previous ones I've given you," He took a moment to look over towards Celeste, "Did you hear about the shooting from earlier today?" he asked, not entirely aware of how far the news had spread.

 

"Hmmm, I read about something," Dana stated after giving it some thought, "There weren't any specifics provided...let me guess, somehow, you're neck deep in this?"

 

"As always," he replied, and he heard an exasperated sigh from Dana, but she made no other attempt to interrupt him, "The victim, a female coyote and patrolmammal with the ZPD, suffered a single GSW to the face. The bullet entered just below the right mandible, on an upward trajectory, exiting out of the left cheek at the fourth premolar. The impact resulted in a stress fracture to the mandible, and the left zygomatic arch." Dave paused, to allow Dana a chance to get all the details.

 

"That doesn't sound too bad," she stated after a moment. "I can imagine that the soft tissue damage is going to be nasty, but it's nowhere near critical..." her voice drifted away to nothing as she considered Dave's motivations for bringing her in on the case.

 

Dave didn't bother to conceal his motivations, "Well, she is one of Carol's students, so even if it's only for self-preservation, I want to make sure she gets the best treatment," He paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, "But the real reason is that, I just found out that Rick pulled rank, and took over the facial reconstruction."

 

Dave was forced to move the phone away from his ear, as a blistering string of, what he assumed were rather colorful descriptors for Doctor Edwards,  _ “Taj arogantan, jebeni idiot. Nije mogao naći dupe s obje šape i kartu.” _ He had no idea what Dana was saying, but a sudden crash and the sound of broken glass had both his ears standing on end.

 

"Dana, are you okay?" he asked cautiously, while he listened for any signal from the plastic surgeon.

 

There was some additional rustling noises followed by a slow sigh before Dana's voice "I'm fine." There was the faintest rumbling of a growl in her voice, but Dave was just relieved that, although apparently livid, Dana was physically fine. "Please tell me that idiot isn't going to be handling the jaw reconstruction?"

 

Dave laughed at the question, but was quick to assuage the other physician, "Fortunately not. They've given that task over to Doctor Packard."

 

"Amanda's handling it?" Dana asked, the undertone of menace that had colored her earlier words abated once she knew that Celeste would have competent care. "Good, I'll reach out to her ASAP, and make sure that we're working in concert...and also play my trump card on Rick... _ Bezvrijedan grumen trulog mesa! _ "

 

The final words were barely above a whisper, but even without knowing the specifics, Dave could only smile at the...vehemence of Dana's dislike of Doctor Rick Edwards. Both he and Dana had experienced the dubious honor of having studied under the porcupine as part of their residency training. Quite frankly, he was the laziest physician Dave had ever met, only ever doing the minimum required to treat his patients. 

 

He had been able to escape after only a few months, plastic surgery being about as far from his personal interest as one could get, but Dana...she had to deal with him for almost 3 whole years. It was only when Dana made it a habit to approach Rick's patients and offer to repair the porcupine's minimal work that things had finally come to a head.

 

Apparently the dean had been quite blunt when Dr. Edwards had lodged a formal complaint. Indicating that the fact that Rick was a tenured professor was the only reason he wasn't sent packing...Some lingering animosity between the two miiight still be present.

 

"Okay, Dave," she stated simply. "I've got this handled, and I'll let you know how the officer does sometime tomorrow."

 

"Thanks for that, Dana," Dave said before giving a sigh of relief, knowing that Celeste would now very much be having the pest paws in Zootopia working on her behalf. "Look, if Officer Whitefoot needs any special equipment or treatment that the ZPD or government won't cover, please let me know."

 

Dana gave a small laugh at Dave's words, "You never change,  _ Ti Glupi Vuk _ . There shouldn't be any real problems unless the nerve damage is worse than you've indicated, but I'll let you know if the coffers of the Honeywell Trust can make a difference." There was another rustling of papers, as Dana reorganized herself, "I'll be in touch, be safe!"

 

Dave didn't even have a chance to say goodbye himself before the call disconnected. Shaking his head, he moved to Celeste's side, and looked over the poor coyote's face. The dressings were still clean, and he was glad to note, that the phone call hadn't disturbed her. A rustling from the door, made him look up to see a rather large puma enter into the suite, wearing a ZPD uniform. Dave also noticed the fresh dressings on the puma's paw, and could guess that they had either been earned in the same incident that had injured Celeste...or from when the officer had punched a wall in frustration...which happened more often than it should.

 

The big cat had a wary expression on his muzzle, and Dave took the opportunity to step away from the bed and head over to introduce himself. "You must be patrolmammal Jefferson?" he stated simply, offering the big cat his paw in greeting. "I'm Doctor Dave Hawthorne, Carol Latrans' mate."

 

The puma's eyes widened slightly in realization, but his face remained utterly impassive, but he did reach out and shook Dave's paw, nodding his head in greeting. "Tahoma Jefferson, ZPD Precinct 4." the officer's words didn't betray his emotions. 

  
  
"I was expecting Allen to still be here," he said, his nose twitching slightly as he took in the various scents in the room. Underneath, the disinfectants, and the scent of many strangers, Allen's scent could be clearly made out, and Jefferson estimated that he had probably left fairly recently. He released the doctor's paw, and the white wolf motioned with his head over to the side of the room, where a small (at least for him) table was located.

 

"Allen needed to get some rest, so I offered to keep an eye on Celeste until you arrived." Dave turned back to face the puma, and he examined the officer for a moment, wondering how long the big cat had been awake for given the day's events.

 

Jefferson considered Dave's scrutiny for a moment, making a dismissive gesture with his uninjured paw before looking back towards Celeste. "The two of them are strong," he stated simply as if just by making the pronouncement the strands of fate would heed his call. He looked back at Dave before speaking again, "Thank you for looking out for them, both of them."

 

"It's going to be a long road, but I know the mammals here, and she's in good paws," Dave nodded, and motioned towards the puma's bandaged paw, "On that note, would you like me to take a look at that before I leave?" he asked, unsure about the degree of injury, or the level of care that Jefferson had received to date.

 

The puma just shook his head, "It's nothing," was all he said, as he moved over to Celeste's bedside. He didn't reach out to touch her though, and he simply held his paw over her bandaged face. When he spoke, the words were quiet, " _ Hanályį́į́h yázhí adeezhí. Níłchʼi dooleeł náʼoolkiłí danihí _ ." The words were unfamiliar to Dave, but he had heard something similar from both Carol and her mother.

 

"Was that the old tongue?" he asked, somewhat hesitant to interrupt the puma's vigil.

 

There might have been the beginnings of a smile on Jefferson's muzzle, before his face reverted to its standard stoicism. He nodded, towards the wolf, before pulling a chair closer, so that he could maintain his vigil. "You know of it?" he asked, once he was settled. The curiosity was plain on his voice, as his interactions with most of the mammals in Zootopia showing varying degree of ignorance of the old ways.

 

Dave nodded in reply, "Not a lot, but Carol or her mother sometimes uses a word or two." He chuckled slightly before continuing, "Given the...situations they were involved in at the time, they probably were not too friendly.

 

Jefferson nodded, and watched as the wolf's expression became more contemplative. "There was one other bit," Dave started, unsteadily, "a song of some kind I think." The physician closed his eyes and thought back to the moment when he had heard Carol's mother quietly singing the song. His voice was hesitant, but he tried his best to remember the sounds.

 

_ "Ahala ahalaso naahsha gha!" _

 

_ "Shi naahsha gha..." _

 

His voice trailed off as his memory of the words reached its end, and he was somewhat surprised to hear a quiet chuckle from Jefferson. Opening his eyes, he saw that the puma had obviously found his performance more amusing than insulting, and was working to maintain his composure. The puma's expression didn't revert to its normal stoic state, and there was a surprising warmth in his gaze.

 

_ "Shi Naasha," _ he stated simply, easily able to identify the song...even though the wolf's pronunciation was...well awful, but the fact that he made the attempt was more than what most mammals would try. "It's is a lullaby, mainly..." he paused for a moment, and once again had to fight the urge to laugh, "and it's normally sung by females trying to get their cubs to sleep."

 

Dave couldn't help but laugh at the explanation, and he shrugged before retrieving another business card from his pocket before handing it over to Tahoma. "That's my home number," he stated pointing to the relevant information. "If you, Celeste, or Allen need anything, just call."

 

He once again looked over at Celeste, "She's going to be in and out of surgery for the next while, but it's good to see just how many mammals are in her corner."

 

Jefferson nodded politely, "Thank you for your help, Doctor." he paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on Celeste, "I'd like to spend some time with my partner, if that's alright." Dave nodded in understanding, hearing the worried undertone that colored the puma's words, but understanding that the patrolmammal needed some private time.

 

After the white wolf left the room, Jefferson rolled his eyes at the memory of the wolf's impromptu performance.

 

"Well  _ adeezhÌ _ ," he said simply, looking at his partner, "we found a mammal with worse pronunciation that you." At that point, the puma just sat there in silence, watching Celeste sleep. His expression was unreadable, but an observant mammal would notice that his bandaged paw was clenched so tightly that it shook.   


* * *

As much as he wanted to stay by his beloved's side, getting up and out was a grudging necessity. Allan tried to relax and stretch as he walked down the street, grateful that Dave had stopped by, and in doing so had given him the opportunity to stretch his legs. He had to smile at the impulse to resent the perfectly normal day around him while he had to deal with such tragic crisis.

 

But Nichole and Jefferson, and by extension, Julius and the combined First and Fourth Precincts were on hand for support and Celeste, and him, were in good paws. Now he needed to take care of himself and prepare for Celeste's home coming. Groceries and housekeeping were the goals for the day.

 

A wolf was coming up from the opposite direction. Typically, as strangers, they'd simply exchange a nod of recognition. The idea that they would also exchange sniffs was more a comedic stereotype than truth. As Allen was concentrating on other things, he wasn't putting too much thought into the other's approach, but just as they passed each other, Allen's fur stood on end as something about to other wolf set off every survival instinct he possessed. Before he even had a chance to begin processing the feeling, he heard the other wolf's foot pivot.

 

Not knowing exactly what the wolf was planning, Allen spun counterclockwise, and swept his left arm out, his digits pointing upward and ramrod straight. He was gambling on the other canine being right-paw dominant, and he silently hoped that this was the case.

 

As the stranger came back into view, Allen quickly processed the situation, and took immediate notice of the pistol that his attacker was starting to aim in his direction. His gamble had paid off however, and his left paw struck his attacker's wrist, before his assailant could draw a bead on him. The impact knocked the firearm to the side, but it also caused the wolf to fire off a single round.

 

The report of the weapon was deafening, even in the open environment of the quiet street. Allen winced as his sensitive ears rang in the aftermath, but his training at the academy had taught him what to expect, and he worked past the discomfort. His opponent was not so disciplined, and the other wolf visibly flinched as the pistol discharged.

 

Allen made good use of the momentary distraction, and deftly grasped onto the other wolf's wrist in order to maintain control of the weapon. The other Wolf was about his size, but was entirely lacking in his agile athleticism, something that became more obvious when his attacker stumbled backwards, having lost his footing on the uneven pavement. Allen followed the wolf down to the ground, maintaining a constant grip on the paw holding the pistol, while at the same time striking the wolf's right elbow with his own right limb, forcing it to bend, and allowing him to position the pistol so that it was no longer aiming anywhere near him...but was also positioned quite close to the other wolf's ears.

 

Subconsciously, he knew that, while there were no other mammals on the street, they could arrive at any moment. The rarity of firearms in Zootopia meant that, rather than running away at the sound of a gunshot, many mammals would move towards the disturbance as curiosity got the better of them. Although he was confident that he could handle the wolf, this needed to end quickly.

 

He made the decision in an instant, and before his attacker could make a move to try and escape his grasp, he jammed his right paw into the trigger guard, while at the same time, tried to pin his ears as far back as they could go.

 

Once again, the pistol discharged, and even having prepared for the blast, the pain in his ears was immense. He was still able to hear the sound of the bullet ricochet off the pavement, but his attention was fully invested in the condition of his attacker...The effect it had on him was on another level entirely.

 

The wolf immediately made of yip of pain that transitioned into a full on scream, as the wolf released his grip on the pistol as he tried to cover his abused ears. Allen quickly tossed the firearm to the side, well out of the wolf's reach, and had the now moaning wolf zip-cuffed within moments.

 

Once the suspect was secure, he took stock of the situation. From the red tinged fluid dripping out of the other wolf's right ear, he was almost certain that the noise had ruptured the eardrum, but as that wasn't a life threatening injury, he was content to keep an eye on the suspect and he moved to retrieve the firearm before crouching down beside the subdued wolf.

 

Though out of uniform, he still had a utility pouch and his comm on his belt. He slapped his panic button and called in. "Officer needs assistance! Assailant in custody was armed with a handgun! Officer out of uniform and seeking cover! Scene is not secure!"

 

It was only when he said the words that he realized just how open his position was, and he quickly scuttled to take cover behind a nearby vehicle, taking a moment to drop the magazine of the pistol, and a quick glance told all he needed to know. The magazine was almost full, with only the two fired rounds unaccounted for. He was about to clear the firearm, when something made him pause, and instead he replaced the magazine and verified that a round was already chambered, before hunkering down to wait for backup to arrive.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Yes, we're evil for ending this chapter with a cliffhanger, but I do hope that you enjoyed the journey to get to this point. 
> 
> For those of you who don't read Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, the Honeywell Genetic Counseling Centre, is the main setting for the story. It exists to try and help interspecies couples to start families of their own, but the simple truth is that genetics is not a kind mistress, and there are so many critical steps that need to happen perfectly in order for new life to come about...well it's not a happy story. 
> 
> For Dave and the other mammals at the Centre, their daily routine borders on Sisyphean, but they still work to help whoever they can.
> 
> I won't go into too much of my usual musings relating to Zootopia, but I would like to mention one element that was used in this chapter. Namely how Allen used the discharge of his attacker's pistol to effectively end the fight.
> 
> This is very much a "water is wet" kind of fact, but it is important to point out that firearms are generally very, loud. In the case of the 9mm round used in this story, it can reach as high as 160dB...and that's a ridiculously loud level of sound. For comparison, standing 25m away from a jet during takeoff will only reach about 150dB, so it's a significant amount of energy that's involved. Having a noise that loud occur right by your ear would be devastating. 
> 
> For those who haven't experienced it, a ruptured eardrum is both extremely painful, but also disorienting. As one of the purposes of the inner ear is to assist in our ability to balance, having anything disrupt it can cause extreme nausea, as well as balance issues. 
> 
> So if you're out at the firing range, make sure you have your ear protection on at all times...and also don't stick your head into a jet engine.
> 
> Any questions or comments, please leave a comment or send me a message.


End file.
